


Tanuki

by Zetran



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: AU, Humanoid, Kemonomimi, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-20
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-01-26 07:00:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 23,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1679015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zetran/pseuds/Zetran
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Starving in the middle of a famine, Cloud searches for food, nearly failing until he sees an opportunity. Unfortunately, that opportunity seems to be more trouble than it's worth, but he can't shake the feeling that there's something more...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

[](http://serinuceli.deviantart.com/art/Request-Cloud-FF-Tanuki-478700810)

The scent of cooking rabbit permeated the air, creeping into the nostrils of a fox. It opened its mouth to 'taste' the air as its stomach rolled and rumbled with hunger.

An ear twitched to flick off snow and a set of four legs moved nearly of their own accord. The fox stopped, right foreleg still in the air, and regained thought. Asking to be fed would not work in the small village of Rocket Town during Famine, when the inhabitants could barely take care of their own.

Circling the outskirts of the village for snares, the fox trudged towards home, disappointed by the lack of success. Stooping to lowly robbing snares for what can really only qualify as a snack did not sit well with it, though it pushed its sentiments aside long ago.

Anything for a meal. Anything for survival.

The fox weaved through the forest, squeezed into its tiny temporary den, prepared its spot for bed, and curled up into a cold, uncomfortable sleep with a demanding stomach.

* * *

Light crunching noises brought the fox out of its light slumber, and its ears pricked up. Slowly stepping forward, it froze in place.

A Two-Leg, whether a human or a Median, the fox didn't know. Not caring or bothering to size up the Two-Leg, it fixated its eyes on what was carried.

A whole Valron. The purple gargoyle-like creature wasn't something the fox would normally eat, but at this point, it really didn't matter.

Crawling out of the den, the fox took aim, and, without paying heed to the weapon the Two-Leg held, leaped forward.

Managing to catch the kill between its teeth, the fox took off full speed as far away as possible, dragging the dead Valron with it. The Two-Leg dropped his guard only to realize what was happening a split second later.

Zigzagging around the trees, the fox's fatigue grew at an alarming rate. It contemplated using its illusory magic to pass off as a raccoon dog, but it was too late. The Two-Leg knew what to chase after and was quickly closing the distance.

The fox jumped upwards to avoid the blade intending to cut all of its legs off at once. Instead of running, it stood its ground. It refused to flee without the Valron; death was imminent without a source of food.

The Two-Leg stepped forward, holding its weapon in a threatening manner. The fox released the stolen kill, pulled its ears back, and snarled, showing off all of its small but sharp teeth. It was either going to have food, or die trying.

Anything for a meal. Anything for survival.

Instead of the sword cutting into it, the Two-Leg reached towards the Valron with his right hand. The fox dug its knife-like teeth into the arm, ripping and tearing in a wild frenzy to punish the action for being the big mistake that it was.

With the other arm, the Two-Leg plunged the weapon into the ground and forcefully jabbed a thumb into the fox's eye. The fox held on despite the pain, until it could no longer take it. Upon the fox's release of the bloodied limb, the Two-Leg used the injured arm to shove the fox's head to the ground and stepped on it, pinning it in place, while using the other arm to roughly pull the tail.

It was a common rumor among humans and Medians that pulling a fox's tail would bring extremely bad luck. Sometimes brushed off as a superstition or a coincidence, it was widely believed that the idea rang true. So many reports of bad things happening afterwards couldn't be denied in having some connection. Apparently, the Two-Leg didn't believe in such a thing. Or he simply didn't care. Whatever the case, the fox snarled and thrashed, swearing curses upon the man – up until now, the fox paid little attention to even the simplest of its adversary's appearance – that was slowly but surely crushing its skull.

An eternity later, a shot of pain burst from the fox's side and knocked all the air out of it. Through blurry vision, it saw a green glow and the slightly distorted figure of the man turning to leave with the sword and the Valron.

Shakily getting to its feet, the fox practically crawled forward, lengthening the distance between itself and the man by a few feet before using its illusion magic to take on the appearance of a raccoon dog. It picked up the pace, hiding behind trees and using precious energy to sprint.

The man stopped at a shelter built low to the ground and dropped the kill next to a blackened circle. The disguised fox watched as he placed wood and lit a match to start a fire. Hunger once again clouding its mind, it crept forward and leaped at the food.

The false raccoon dog didn't even make it this time. It found itself in a similar struggle situation, but this time it was held upside down by its hind legs.

"What are you?" the man asked softly, shaking the imitation tanuki and causing it to revert back to its true form. "You can't be a normal fox."

No movement or sound whatsoever came from the fox. It knew what the man was implying, and it weighed the pros and cons. There was absolutely nothing to lose from this; in fact, the fox might actually gain a meal.

The fox cringed in pain as its muscles and bones expanded, growing bigger and wider. Its snout retracted, its teeth shortened and crowded closer together as its entire head changed shape, its legs grew longer, its heels shortened, its toes elongated, and the transformation was complete.

The man put down a male blond-haired human with fox ears and a tail. The humanoid shivered in the snow, a pale, dangerously thin body shaking pitifully. He sat up, thumping his tail.

"Happy now?" the Median said hoarsely, voice unused to human-speak. He swept some snow to the side with his tail, ignoring the pounding in his head from the earlier attack and the aches strewn all over his body from the change. The cold striking his nude body didn't help with the discomfort.

The man didn't answer, instead asking, "Do you have a name?" He lit the fire and pulled out a knife to cut up the Valron.

Hesitant, the Median eventually answered, "Cloud." He eyed the silver-haired man with caution.

A chunk of raw meat was tossed his way. Half of it was eaten before Cloud even knew what he was doing.

"You need an appetizer more than I do," the man explained.

"What was that for...?" Cloud trailed off, not knowing what to refer to the man as. He licked some juice and blood off of his lips and winced as his stomach growled in content and in demand of more food.

"Sephiroth. And I do believe that you owe me for the bite."

* * *

Notes:

Idea conceived: 2013年8月9日（金）

Started: 2013年8月9日（金）

Finished: 2013年8月20日（火）

I'm starting to hate myself for this.

Cover art by [SerinuCeli](http://www.serinuceli.deviantart.com/).


	2. Chapter 2

"You pulled my tail and nearly broke my head," Cloud replied, annoyed. "I owe you nothing."

"Hm," was all Sephiroth said.

"If anything, _you_ owe _me_ ," Cloud continued.

"I don't owe you anything." Sephiroth placed a pot of snow over the fire.

Cloud inched closer to the Valron, trying to make his actions as least suspicious as possible. "You could have killed me."

"You could have left me with only one arm." Sephiroth continued to melt the snow, oblivious.

Cloud huffed angrily. "At least you still would have been alive." _Almost there..._

"At least your corpse still would have had both arms," Sephiroth argued back lamely. He continued to stare at the partially melted snow as if willing it to turn to water faster.

 _Is he joking?_ Cloud silently crept closer, keeping his eyes on the Two-Leg. The right moment presented itself, and Cloud pounced.

Sephiroth chuckled, running after and grabbing the fleeing Median by the leg and pinning him down, laying over the caught fox. Cloud snarled, pulling his ears back and baring his teeth while struggling to worm his way out of the silver-haired man on top of him.

"You can leave anytime you want," Sephiroth said calmly. "Just don't take my food with you."

"Get off," Cloud ground out, fully displaying all of his teeth in an ugly growl. He growled louder when Sephiroth gripped both of his arms and squeezed them until Cloud let go of the stolen kill.

He'd had enough of warning the man. Cloud bit Sephiroth on the arm again, digging his teeth in as far as they could go before pulling back to tear and rip the flesh.

Something slapped him hard enough to put him in a small daze. Cloud let go, and he was left there in the snow. He shook it off and put a handful of the white powder to numb his stinging cheek, going back to Sephiroth's campsite.

He needed that Valron. It was either that, or starvation.

"I don't appreciate thieves stealing from me," was all Sephiroth said when Cloud returned. The man tended to the fire and put a chunk of meat into the pot of water.

At the sight of the meat, Cloud's stomach growled. Loudly. Embarrassed, he sat crossed-legged, wrapping his arms around his crying belly. His tail lay still and his ears swiveled at every small sound they caught, especially the ones coming from the cooking food. He moved his hands to his upper arms, rubbing them as he shivered.

When the water began to bubble for a while, the scent of stew sprung into the air and spread over the entire area, tempting Cloud to knock over the pot and gobble up the meat whether Sephiroth was there or not. To distract himself, Cloud said, "That's going to attract monsters, you know."

"I am aware."

"Shouldn't you do something about the smell?"

"What does that matter to you?"

"I don't want to risk a fight with a gang of beasts just because you're being stupid."

"You won't have to. I can roast you over an open fire, too," Sephiroth said nonchalantly. "No more fighting for you, no more annoying fox for me. Problem solved."

Insulted, Cloud felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end a little. He contemplated throwing caution to the wind and lunging at Sephiroth's throat, but the rational side of him refused to let him do so. That man wasn't as casual and uncaring as Cloud thought. On the inside, that man was waiting for Cloud to make a move.

"Hmph," Sephiroth said in amusement. "Don't insult others when you can't take one yourself."

"Don't attack foxes and pull their tails if you know what's good for you," Cloud threatened. He prayed for karma to come in and give Sephiroth what he deserved.

"Last I checked, you attacked me first."

"You almost cracked my head into a million pieces, pulled my tail, kicked me into a tree, and slapped me," Cloud listed.

"Hmm..." Sephiroth poured some stew into a bowl and pulled out a utensil to eat it. "Let's see... I was walking through the forest, looking for something edible before finally finding something after hours of searching. As you can see, I killed it to bring it back over here. On my way back, I find that something snatched the food that I had worked for, so, naturally, I chased after whatever it was to get back what was rightfully mine. What do I find but an oddly-colored fox which is still trying to do what it can to go against me, even as we speak."

Cloud had no argument that wouldn't sound stupid. He allowed silence to come between them.

Sephiroth cut another chunk out of the Valron and threw it into the pot before going back to eating his stew, staring straight into Cloud's eyes and chewing loudly as if to mock him. Cloud didn't say a word against that. He'd show weakness if he did.

Weakness was eliminated while the strong flourished. It was like a law.

After a moment, another idea presented itself to Cloud.

"So what brings you here?"

"Nothing," Sephiroth mumbled, more interested in eating than in Cloud.

Unperturbed, Cloud said, "Really? Of all the time I've stayed here, I've never seen a human out in the forest unless it's to hunt." Despite his claim of what the silver-haired man was, Cloud had some doubt to that. Slit-pupils were the trademark eyes of reptile or cat Medians, though Cloud was leaning more towards cat mainly because he'd never met a single reptilian Median in his life. Nearly everything about the man screamed that he was part animal, Cloud was sure of it.

"I don't have a permanent home."

"So you're a wanderer?" Sephiroth looked at Cloud as if he was stupid. Cloud glared back. "Alright, so why do you move around a lot?"

"Because I choose to," Sephiroth said simply. He tipped the bowl into his mouth and drained the broth.

Cloud stared hungrily as Sephiroth poured himself another serving, and he found himself fighting to stop himself from licking his lips. He rubbed his hands over his feet and toes, numbness creeping into him from bottom to top.

"How long has the Famine lasted?"

"Hm?" Cloud was surprised to receive a question. "A long time, it feels like. I think the rabbits started to disappear a moon or so ago. It's gotten worse recently." He looked down at himself sadly. "I haven't eaten in three days..."

Sephiroth shifted his gaze back and forth between Cloud and the pot of stew. Excitedly, Cloud perked up, temporarily forgetting about the cold settling into his naked body.

"I can see why," Sephiroth said, returning to his meal. "You're quite possibly the only fox I've come across that doesn't see biting as rude."

Cloud's ears drooped and he hunched over, making himself appear smaller and therefore more pitiful. He sighed. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. I've never had to ask a human for help before."

"I've never had a Median as a companion before, much less one that's content with being a savage and biting the one that had invited it."

"What?" Cloud asked with disbelief.

Cold meat hit landed in his lap a moment later. It was gone seconds later, resting at the bottom of Cloud's belly.

"You'd better not mind raw meat. The luxury of warm food doesn't belong to you right now."

Cloud could care less. Food was food. He looked up hopefully at Sephiroth, thinking that he had the silver-haired man's favor.

"I'm not too sure about when the Famine will break, but there should be more food elsewhere."

"What does that have to do with me? You look capable of going off on your own."

"It's easier to hunt with two, isn't it?"

It was, but... No, he couldn't back away from this. He was being offered food and a chance to continue living. Cloud stood and sat next to the fire, warming his hands first.

"It is," Cloud agreed, waiting for the man to say more. "I don't trust you much, though."

"Nor I you," Sephiroth replied, cutting another portion and handing it to Cloud.

This time, Cloud took the time to savor the food he was given, eating a bit slower. Sephiroth busied himself with burying the rest of the meat under the snow to preserve it.

"I suggest keeping your guard up," Sephiroth said, looking into the distance. "If we're lucky, a monster or two may come."

 _So that's what he's doing_ , Cloud realized. The silver-haired man was trying to attract more food. That also meant that he was going to stay awake for a while. Determined to outlast Sephiroth, Cloud stayed by the fire to warm up and watched him, making sure he didn't try anything.

* * *

When the pink sky of dawn began to form in small pockets on the horizon, Sephiroth packed away all of his things, starting with the small tent and moving on to his other supplies. He dug up the meat and stuffed it into a bag that he would keep close to himself, estimating that the food would last another day, maybe two, depending on how much his new-found companion would eat. He wondered if he was going mad. A Median attacks and injures him for food and what does he do? Persuade the exact same Median to join him in his travels and help him with hunting.

This is ridiculous. What was he thinking? Even now, he didn't know. Ah well, the journey ahead would provide enough time for him to question himself.

Making sure that everything was sealed tightly and that everything was put away, Sephiroth tossed a blanket at the still-nude fox. In response to Cloud's inquiring look, he said, "You don't have any clothes, so that will have to make do until we get to the next town. Unless you'd like to come along as a fox?"

Cloud shook his head and accepted the blanket, swinging it onto his shoulders and reaching for the bag of food.

"Not that one," Sephiroth said hastily, handing Cloud the backpack with the tent and other supplies. "Take this one."

With a huff, Cloud reluctantly did. "So where are we going?" He followed when Sephiroth began walking southeast.

"We'll have to stop at Nibelheim before anyplace else."

Cloud stopped. "Can't we move on to somewhere else instead?"

Sephiroth continued walking, ignoring Cloud's hesitation. "Nibelheim is the closest town and we need supplies. You need clothes, I need some Ethers."

"I can survive just fine without clothes," Cloud protested quickly, walking as slow as possible while still being within earshot. "And you can just rest to replenish your magic."

Sephiroth snorted. "It's not that simple. I'm no magical being."

"Even humans can get their mana back without Ethers, can't they?"

"Yes. But it's a horribly slow process." He heard Cloud mutter about having to support somebody other than himself with magic. "What's in Nibelheim that scares you so?"

"I'm not scared," Cloud denied quickly. "There's nothing there."

Sephiroth just let the subject drop, and they continued on in awkward silence. The trees grew fewer in number before stopping altogether, and they were finally out of the forest. Sephiroth figured that they could cover a little more ground before stopping to rest and have breakfast. Once they did, Sephiroth rationed the food, allowing Cloud to have a bigger share. The Median's ribs were still sticking out prominently, despite the fox's attempts to conceal it.

To break the silence, Cloud said, "If only we had a chocobo..."

Sephiroth couldn't help but agree. His attention, however, was taken by the twitching of Cloud's ears.

"Why do you still have your ears and tail out? It would be much simpler for you to get by in Nibelheim if you retracted them until you only had human ears if that's what you're worried about. I see no reason to be there without them, though, because I have seen Medians living there."

Cloud flinched and his ears lay back, as if he were trying to hide them. "Did you see a woman with long, black hair? Red-brown eyes, pale skin..."

"I don't think so," Sephiroth said truthfully. "Is that who you're avoiding?"

"I keep my ears and tail as a preference," Cloud said without acknowledging Sephiroth's question. "I can hear better and from more directions that way and it's much easier for me to keep my balance. It's more comfortable for me, too."

"I see." Sephiroth picked up a handful of snow, checked to make sure it was completely white, and ate it.

More awkward silence. Cloud ate very slowly, trying to drag out their stay. Sephiroth merely finished his portion and stood up to continued the journey, turning around to drag Cloud along with him. He needed the backpack that the fox had volunteered to carry.

The day passed by relatively uneventfully. Luck shined down on Sephiroth, bringing him a lone Velcher Task which he took down easily. The poisonous dragon-like creature was cut up and prepared for more travel.

To Sephiroth's relief, Cloud seemed to know about the area around him well enough. However, he was still stalling for some reason, one that Sephiroth didn't really care to find out though he did wish the fox would cut it out already. Whatever drama he had with that town in a previous point in his life didn't change the fact that he still had to go there. The snow fall was light, but still cold, and Sephiroth could see Cloud shivering and unconsciously wrapping the blanket more tightly around himself. It would've been much easier on the Median if he simply walked in his fox skin, but the stubborn blond refused and continued to shoulder the pack Sephiroth had given him.

Very soon, it became too dark to go any further. Sephiroth quickly looked for what he needed to make a fire, finishing that before setting up the tent. Cloud sat next to the fire, no doubt numb and freezing. Sephiroth sat at the other end of the flames, warming up his hands before preparing the meat for cooking.

Dinner was another silent affair. Again Sephiroth gave Cloud a bigger portion, opting for simple cooked meat instead of stew. Cloud didn't seem to care, glad that he had _something_ to eat.

Sephiroth sat out by the put-out fire some time later. He could see Cloud's silhouette changing form and heard popping bones. He smirked in the darkness. It seems that the fox had finally given up his macho act. He heard Cloud crunching around in the snow and some scratching before the fox finally lay down to rest.

Sephiroth slipped into his tent, which was built very low to the ground, and rested his eyes, eventually falling asleep.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年9月15日（日）

Finished: 2013年9月19日（木）

An update! Yay!


	3. Chapter 3

In his fox skin, Cloud tread lightly with dread, the pack on his back swaying with his movements. It slipped, hanging off of his side. Cloud let out a small growl in annoyance and shook his body to right his burden, trotting off before it slipped again. Instead of bothering to try to fix the problem, he continued to walk as slowly as possible, the pack of supplies continuously bouncing against his side. Sephiroth's figure grew more and more distant, and Cloud stopped, relieved, and turned to go back from where he came. Food be damned, he couldn't go back to Nibelheim.

He managed to cover a little ground before Sephiroth came to drag him. By his tail.

Cloud snarled and scratched at the snow-covered ground, trying to gain a purchase to escape the man's grasp. His paws and nails made long streaks in the frosty earth but did nothing otherwise. He turned to yell at Sephiroth to let him go, but his mouth in its current state was not made for human speech. His words came out as growls.

Temptation screamed at him to bite Sephiroth again, but the more rational side of him warned that it would not bring good consequences. Even so, he was nearly burning alive with the urge, and Sephiroth refused to relent. The silver-haired man yanked harder, dragging the fox faster behind him until they passed the point Sephiroth had been when Cloud had decided to turn tail and run.

"I do not appreciate your cowardly behavior," Sephiroth said coldly. He released Cloud's tail but didn't take his eyes off of the fox.

The Median opened his mouth to retort, but again, nothing more advanced than a series of growls came out.

"You do realize that that tells me nothing other than you're angry, right?"

Cloud snorted and willed himself to change only his head and face. The snout retracted until it was slightly like a human's mouth, but he still kept his fox nose.

"Why couldn't we just stop by Rocket Town?" he ground out. He hated changing; every transformation back and forth was painful. His mouth felt like it had been hit by a wide tree trunk.

"They hardly have the supplies to sustain themselves, much less anybody who'd like to make a trade or purchase," Sephiroth said as if Cloud should have known that already.

The fox willed his muscles and bones to revert to their original form, but made no other movement. He swept his tail across the snow, still ill-tempered.

He couldn't go back to Nibelheim. He just couldn't.

Sephiroth sighed. "What's over there that's so terrible?"

Cloud didn't answer and didn't really want to. The man would just laugh at him for it, or maybe just shake his head in exasperation. The latter sounded more likely to happen, based on what Cloud knew of Sephiroth. He looked up at the man, pulling his ears back against his head, trying to make himself look like a miserable kit.

"We're going no matter what you have to say on this."

Cloud dropped the act. He had no option but to follow Sephiroth. There was no telling how long Famine would last in Rocket Town, and there was no other way out of the area except through Nibelheim. He seriously considered taking his chances, but as he furthered the journey with the silver-haired man, he realized the severe lack of any predators and prey.

Reluctantly, he continued on with Sephiroth, still moving as slowly as possible.

* * *

It was another few days, nearly a week, until the trademark Nibel mountains came into view. By then, Cloud was almost a nervous wreck. Sephiroth had to keep a close eye on the fox to make sure that he wouldn't run off again, but despite his suspicions, his strange companion didn't try to backtrack anywhere. Not once did Cloud answer any of Sephiroth's questions or attempts at conversation, and not once did Cloud change to his human skin. Sephiroth didn't question it; it was the fox's personal problem, not his.

Traversing the mountains was less of a problem than Sephiroth thought it would be. He was unfamiliar with the way to Nibelheim, having only crossed once by foot to get to Rocket Town, but Cloud seemed to know it like the back of his hand. However, the fox was stubborn and Sephiroth had to really pull teeth to get anything out of him.

Finally, the duo stepped into the town's outskirts. As usual, Cloud hung back, more so now that they were here. Sephiroth first walked towards the inn, but was stopped by a hand gripping his arm.

"Don't waste anything on me," Cloud said, having changed forms without Sephiroth's knowing. "I know where to find clothes."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. He stepped to the side and held out an arm, gesturing for Cloud to lead the way.

The Median took a deep breath, rummaged into the pack he was made to carry until he found the blanket and wrapped it around himself, and guided Sephiroth into town.

The early hours of the morning were silent, with nothing but the noisy clamor of birds breaking the quiet. The silence seemed to set Cloud on edge even more, and Sephiroth noticed the tension at its peak when the fox knocked on the door of a house.

Sephiroth didn't even have time to comprehend what had happened when Cloud was suddenly yanked inside and the door was slammed shut. Muffled cries of "Cloud! Oh, where have you been?!" and an embarrassed "Mother..." leaked from the walls to Sephiroth's ears.

"I brought somebody with me!" Cloud had to yell while opening the door again for Sephiroth. He motioned the silver-haired man to come inside.

A blond blur ran right into him, nearly making Sephiroth topple over.

"Thank you," a female fox Median with the exact same kind of ears Cloud had said gratefully. "I can't thank you enough," she sniffed. Her arms wrapped more tightly around Sephiroth's waist.

"You're suffocating him, mother," Cloud said. His face and ears betrayed his embarrassment.

"Ohh, we've got to tell Tifa!" Cloud's mother cried. She quickly let go of Sephiroth and dashed out the door.

"Oh no," Cloud said with dread, folding his ears back. "We've got to go."

"Care to tell me why?" Sephiroth questioned, expecting an actual answer. When none came, he said, "It would have been very helpful long ago if you had told me that you live here."

Cloud's grip on the blanket draped over him tightened. "I can survive without clothes. We have to get out of here as soon as possible." He speed-walked past Sephiroth, stopping in his tracks when the door opened.

Another female, this one with long, dark hair, came in, nearly squeezing Cloud to death with a hug.

"Cloud, we thought you were dead!" she exclaimed, tearing up. "Where have you been?"

Cloud didn't answer, but he tensely returned the hug, his tail brushing up against his legs as if wanting to go in between them. Sephiroth stayed out of the way, quietly watching the exchange.

"Tifa, I..." Cloud trailed off, obviously at a loss on what to say. Tifa didn't seem to care, gray ears and tail with black tips moving all over the place as if she didn't know how to react just then.

"Oh, Cloud brought a guest!" the blond fox's mother said suddenly as if she had forgotten that Sephiroth was there. The silver-haired man reined in the urge to roll his eyes.

"I did, yeah," Cloud said quickly, hastily pulling himself away from Tifa. "Mother, Tifa, this is Sephiroth. Sephiroth, this is my mother and Tifa."

"I see," Sephiroth said, struggling to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "It's a pleasure to meet the two of you."

"So while you guys get acquainted, I'll uh—go get cleaned up." Awkwardly, Cloud shuffled away, the blanket still covering him.

Cloud's mother beamed at him. "I can't thank you enough for bringing Cloud back to us. He's been gone for so long... I never even wanted to think of the possibilities."

"When did he first leave?" Sephiroth inquired, curious.

"Seven months ago," Tifa said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"I have never seen you before in my life until now," Sephiroth said honestly.

"Hmm," was all the dark grey fox had to reply to that. "How did you get to know Cloud?"

"I was camping in the woods of Rocket Town and I happened to run into him," Sephiroth said. He figured it would be best to leave out most of the details of his and Cloud's first meeting. "He wasn't in the best of shape due to the Famine there, and he agreed to accompany me. However, he seemed very nervous about coming here and he never told me why."

"He didn't?" Cloud's mother tilted her head, ears pricked up. "I can't imagine why... How bad was the Famine on him?" she asked worriedly.

"Nothing but skin and bones," Sephiroth said sincerely, not exaggerating much.

Cloud's mother gasped. "My poor boy... He's lucky that you were there before it was too late."

Sephiroth shook his head. He didn't want to take the compliment.

At that moment, Cloud returned, spiked hair drooping slightly from his bath or shower. A sleeveless turtleneck vest zipped up all the way to just below his neck covered his chest; baggy pants with multiple pockets hung snugly on his hips. His tail shone a brighter blond and hung limply.

"Thank you for lending this to me," Cloud said, inclining his head and returning Sephiroth's blanket which was neatly folded.

Sephiroth took back his possession, shaking his head. "It was no problem."

Cloud's mother scrambled out of her seat and fussed over Cloud, saying something about him being too skinny. A very light shade of pink, so faint one had to really squint to see it, formed on Cloud's cheeks and he continued to mutter about how he was fine.

"Are you hungry?" Cloud's mother asked Sephiroth. "Do you want something to eat? Do you want to rest first?"

Sephiroth shook his head. "It's fine. I'll book a room at the inn."

"No, you can stay," Cloud said quickly. "I have space in my room." He left again without letting anybody say anything on the matter. Sephiroth had a feeling that it was more to have an excuse to get away from the females than it was out of kindness and generosity.

Tifa seemed to agree. Sephiroth could sense some frustration at Cloud emanating from her. He studied the vixen, eyes quickly running from her turned face and stopping at her breasts for a second. Overly large, probably made that way with magic or some other artificial means. Not to Sephiroth's taste; there _was_ such a thing as too big for him. At least she had the decency to cover them up with her shirt. He continued to size her up, casually averting his eyes when she looked at him with ears forward. Sephiroth didn't know much on how foxes communicated, but he assumed that it was a challenge. He met her gaze and stared at her until she looked away. He inwardly smirked. That was a point for him.

Less time passed by before Cloud returned again, this time ushering Sephiroth to his room.

"You can take the bed," Cloud said. He scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Make yourself comfortable and stay at least for one night. It's the least I can do for your help."

"I suppose I can accept your offer." Sephiroth put his food pack and sheathed sword down, noticing that the pack Cloud had carried was already in the room. "Care to explain what is going on? I would like to know."

Cloud hesitated. "...I'll explain later."

"I will hold you to that."

* * *

Cloud tossed and turned under the covers of his bed, unused to the feeling of comfort after living in the wilderness for so long. His mother seemed to like Sephiroth. Tifa, however, seemed uninterested; she kept her brown eyes on Cloud, burning with questions.

Questions that Cloud did not want to answer.

Sephiroth didn't move in his spot on the floor. Cloud was still scolding himself for losing the argument with the man over who slept where. But if the maniac would rather sleep on the floor than on a bed especially after only being able to rest on a very thin sheet of tent material that provided no comfort, then that was his deal.

"Your mother seems nice."

"Thank you," Cloud said, not really meaning to sound genuinely thankful.

"That other one – Tifa – seems to be attached to you."

"Oh...her..." Cloud curled up on himself at the mention of her name.

"What is her relationship with you, if I may ask?"

After an eternity of silence, Cloud gave in. "She was supposed to be my mate," he whispered.

"'Was supposed to'?" Sephiroth quoted incredulously.

Cloud nodded, uncaring if Sephiroth could see the movement or not. "She wanted to be my mate, and I couldn't say no to her, but..." He took a shaky breath. "I can't do it. I just can't."

Sephiroth snorted.

"Hey," Cloud said, flicking his tail in annoyance. "We had mated a couple of times, so don't even get that idea."

"I didn't say anything. But go on."

"I couldn't tell her that I didn't love her that way. So I left. Didn't tell anybody in advance, didn't leave a note – nothing."

"That is one of the most cowardly things I have ever heard in all my days."

"I couldn't stay and keep lying to her, and I didn't have the guts to tell her. Yes, I'll admit it," Cloud said with a sigh.

"So in a way, I made you face your problems again. Will you solve them on your own?"

"I don't know," Cloud said truthfully. He was leaning towards no; he had avoided Tifa all day by making excuses about Sephiroth. She seemed to dislike the silver-haired man a bit afterwards.

"Hm. Well, that will all be up to you." Cloud heard the bedding he had laid down on the floor rustle with Sephiroth's shifting. "I'm leaving in the morning before anybody wakes up."

Something about that gave Cloud a small pang. He shoved it out of his mind and curled up some more to go to sleep.

* * *

Once his preparations were finished, Sephiroth made his way out of Cloud's room, unlocking the front door of the house and locking it behind him when he was out, not making any sound whatsoever. He crunched through the snow, making it several feet past the town limits before a voice called him.

"Sephiroth!" it yelled again. The silver-haired man turned to see Cloud in his human form running towards him, pack bouncing against his side. Cloud didn't slow down until he was near Sephiroth. Panting, he said, "I'm coming with you."

"Running away again?" Sephiroth taunted.

"Shut up!" Cloud said normally, having regained his wind. "It would make me feel much worse knowing that you're out here on your own, unable to fend for yourself, than it would leaving Tifa and my mother again."

"Watch your tongue, fox," Sephiroth said sternly. "I might just cut it off."

Cloud snorted. "I left a note this time, if that will make you feel any better."

"Whether you stay or try to follow me is your choice. I will not suffer the consequences for your actions," Sephiroth warned.

"Fine. I'm still going," the Median said, marching off into a random direction.

"I'm going to the east."

"Well so am I, and that's that."

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年10月18日（金）

Finished: 2013年10月19日（土）

Cloud is wearing his Advent Children outfit, except without the leather shoulder guards, apron thing, cloth on his arm, or the Fenrir emblem.

I will admit that I'm a Tifa hater, but I hope that that only came out as a stupid boob joke and not bashing.

Welp, see you next chapter! Hopefully the wait won't be as long next time around...


	4. Chapter 4

_Dear Mom,_

_I know that this isn't the best way to let you know, but I've decided to leave with Sephiroth. Don't worry, I packed all the clothes I need plus some extra food, and I know him well enough from the amount of time we had spent going from Rocket Town to Nibelheim. He isn't always easy to get along with, and we tend to argue a_ _ lot _ _, but he's a good person and I know I can rely on him when I need him. I'm sorry that I never mentioned anything, but I can't stay in Nibelheim. I just can't – it feels like it's too small for me here, like I'm being restricted. I only wish that I could have told you this face-to-face. Again, I'm sorry. I do hope to come back sometime, but for now, I'm off to wherever Sephiroth is going._

_Tifa,_

_I never could admit it. I had a hard time admitting it to even myself. But it's important that I let you know._

_I know your feelings for me are very strong, but I've never been able to think of you other than a very close friend. Being mates was awkward. It was never bad, but there have been a few times where I have been uncomfortable. I do love you, Tifa, but not like that. I should have spoken up before – I know I should have, and I really wanted to. But I could never bring myself to. You were happy, and I had never wanted to change that._

_I'm sorry, Tifa._

_–Cloud_

Hurt, Tifa's grip on the note tightened, crumpling it up as she read it. Blinking tears away to prevent them from coming out, her hands shook a little.

Cloud...never loved her 'like that'? Did that also mean that he had never wanted to be her mate? She couldn't believe it. Not at all. He had seemed to enjoy being with her, even when they were alone. She shook her head, ears drooping. Then her ears pricked up.

It had to be that man that Cloud had brought with him. She knew Sephiroth was trouble when she first laid her eyes on him in her mate's home. She still couldn't get over the feeling that she had seen him somewhere before, like in a newspaper. He was definitely not from Nibelheim, probably not from Rocket Town, and he had to have done something to Cloud for him to change like that.

Tifa sighed. Maybe she was overreacting. Was she really putting the blame on Sephiroth, the familiar stranger? Was she only trying to vent?

Or did she really have a reason to suspect the silver-haired man?

She heard Mrs. Strife sniffle. She sat next to her at the table and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"He said he'd be back eventually, didn't he?"

Mrs. Strife dabbed at her eye with a tissue. "He said he would. Oh Cloud..."

* * *

They were going to kill him. Tifa and his mother were going to _kill_ him. He just knew it.

Cloud tried to push it out of his mind as he trailed after Sephiroth, but the subject would not let him have any peace. He kept playing what he was sure their reactions were going to be over and over in his mind, becoming more and more convinced that they were going to hate him.

Sephiroth suddenly stopped and backed up, colliding into Cloud and knocking him down. The blond landed on his bottom in the snow, looking up to see Sephiroth turning to face him and stare down at him emotionlessly.

"You need to be more attentive," Sephiroth said mock scoldingly. "I will not be responsible for any mistakes on your part if you can't keep your mind where it's supposed to be."

The fox glared at his travel partner, who raised a brow and asked, "Weren't you excited to leave earlier?"

No answer from the blond other than crossed arms and another glare.

The silver-haired man shook his head in exasperation and bent down, reaching a hand to Cloud. Slightly reluctantly, Cloud reached up so their hands could connect.

A split second later, Cloud was being pulled up by his tail, kicking and yelling curses at his traveling partner.

"Do you want bad luck that badly?!" Cloud tried to pull his tail out of Sephiroth's tight hold in vain. "That _hurts_!"

"Does it, really?" Sephiroth taunted.

"It feels like you're ripping the bone out!" Cloud smacked the hand that was causing him so much pain. "This is the third time already! That should be a century's worth of bad luck!"

"Says who?"

"Everybody who's dared to pull a fox's tail," Cloud said through gritted teeth.

"I am so afraid," Sephiroth said sarcastically. He released Cloud after another agonizing moment of dragging the blond forcefully. "There, you seem to be paying attention now."

Cloud massaged his tail, grumbling, "I hope karma gets you."

* * *

They had been traveling for over two weeks to seemingly nowhere. Cloud lost count of how many times the sun and moon had risen and set, and he was seriously questioning if Sephiroth even knew where he was going anymore. Every time he asked, he always got "You'll know when we get there" for an answer.

"Will you at least tell me how far away we are from the place?" Cloud said, annoyed, as he set up the tent while Sephiroth prepared dinner.

"About..." Sephiroth took a quick glance around. "I estimate maybe two thirds or half left."

"Two thirds or half of what?"

"The amount of travel left," Sephiroth clarified.

"Oh. I see." Cloud went silent until he finished setting up. He stretched one of his arms and sat adjacent to Sephiroth, watching him prepare the food.

"Have you ever been mates with – er, been in a relationship with anybody?" The fox's ears drooped backwards slightly right after he blurted the random question out. He hoped that he had, at the very least, gotten the human equivalent of the Median phrase right.

"Not very many. None of them lasted very long at all." Sephiroth sounded like he did not want to delve into the subject.

Carefully, Cloud asked, "Have you – or would you – ever be in one with a male?"

Sephiroth snorted condescendingly. "I would never stoop to a level as low as that."

Cloud's ears lay flat against his head. "I see..."

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年12月14日（土）

Finished: That same day

Oh wow. The extremely rare chapter that gets finished in a few hours. O.o Yeah, it's short, but I thought that this was the best place to end it. Updates will be faster, too, I swear.


	5. Chapter 5

Snow faded, the climate becoming drier and warmer but still cold as Cloud and Sephiroth furthered their journey. The blond could not get Sephiroth's answer to his question out of his head, the thoughts plaguing him slightly more than his eventual return to Nibelheim. He tried not to let it bother him – after all, he knew that it was not beneath the man to answer in such a harsh manner.

Despite constantly telling himself that, _"never stoop to a level as low as that"_ continuously repeated itself with Sephiroth's voice in Cloud's head, and it stung Cloud. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but it hurt. It really, really hurt. Especially now, when he and Sephiroth shared the same tent. Cloud was comfortable in his own sleeping bag, fiddling with his tail in an effort to go to sleep. His fingers ran like caterpillar legs around the furry tip, chewing the blond fur. He curled up with his ears laid back and exhaled through his nose.

Why? Why would that answer to his stupid, out-of-nowhere question do this to him? He didn't understand. He didn't want to understand. He only wanted to forget about it; five days straight of the incident popping into his head was too long.

He froze as the sound of rustling came from Sephiroth's side of the small tent. The sound of a zipper, followed by more rustling, and Cloud felt a presence too close to him. He tensed, the fur on his tail puffing up slightly.

A hand touched the curve of his hunched back, lightly ghosting along his spine. Cloud didn't dare to move as the hand continued to touch him. He kept his eyes closed and held his breath, completely unsure of the other man's actions.

The hand went higher, into the small space of the sleeping bag Cloud left unzipped, and it went inside. Cloud flinched as his hair was touched. The bag was unzipped and peeled off, exposing the top half of his body. He did nothing to stop that or the gentle petting that occasionally slipped lower to massage the base of one of his ears.

Warily, Cloud narrowly opened one eye, confirming his previous suspicions though he still didn't entirely believe it.

Sephiroth's trademark smirk greeted him, and the man must have seen Cloud reveal he wasn't asleep, for the man cupped the Median's chin and made the blond meet his eyes. Slowly, the silver-haired man crept closer, pressing his forehead right against Cloud's and staring right into his eyes.

Cloud was entranced by those eyes, a strange mix of pale blue and vibrant green peering out at him from around the slit pupils. He held the gaze, refusing to show weakness by looking away. Convinced that the other was a cat Median of some sort, he was twice as disinclined to break away.

Sephiroth chuckled, the deep noise stirring something within Cloud. The silver-haired man cupped the blond's cheek, resuming his petting. Unblinking, Cloud leaned into the touch, rubbing his face against that hand.

"Good boy," Sephiroth whispered. Cloud would have been offended at being treated like a common dog, but the way Sephiroth had said the phrase gave off a different meaning. "You're willing."

Cloud didn't understand. Willing...?

Lips pressed against his, making the blond's eyes go wide. Cloud stayed rigid, his eyes widening, the fur on his tail puffing out again, this time a little more than before.

Sephiroth broke the lip contact, sitting up and tilting his head slightly. Cloud could only stare at the other man, suddenly noticing that the other had no shirt on.

"Why so surprised? Isn't this what you wanted?" the man asked genuinely.

Cloud shook his head. No, he didn't want Sephiroth...like that. He wanted to get along with his companion, yes, but to become something akin to and possibly even mates?

"Liar," Sephiroth accused softly, bringing his face back in front of Cloud's again. "Don't lie to me. Don't deny this. Don't deny it and lie to yourself." His lips connected with Cloud's again, his tongue requesting entrance. Cloud granted it, staying still.

The fox suddenly shoved Sephiroth and reversed their position, the Median laying on top of the man and roughly deepening the kiss. Aggressively, Cloud's ears stood forward as he fisted chunks of silver hair. His tail stood upright as he broke the kiss and began to trail kisses down the man's jaw and neck.

"Why did _you_ lie?" Cloud whispered. He brought a hand to his vest to pull the zipper down and remove the article of clothing.

"I lied because you did." Sephiroth watched as the blond hurriedly removed his own pants, erection bouncing free. Teasingly, the man gripped it, jerking it quickly and eliciting a surprised gasp followed by a held-back moan.

"You lied first," Cloud said, "and I never lied to you at all. What are you talking about?"

"There you go lying again," Sephiroth said, shaking his head before slipping out of his own pants, roughly grasping the blond's ass with one hand and his tail with the other before grinding the blond against himself. "You know exactly what I mean."

Cloud had absolutely no idea what the man was talking about. He didn't want to think. He threw any and all semblance of thought out the door as he prepared to enjoy the moment...

* * *

Sephiroth sat cross-legged under the night sky, basking in the chilly air and pale light of the quarter moon. He wasn't used to sleeping at night until near dawn, and it was common for him to leave the tent when his companion was finally settled down in bed. He was at ease out under the moon, totally calm by himself. He had been solitary for so long that he was accepting his new companion with some difficulty.

He turned his head, light, nearly inaudible noises coming from the tent. Raising an eyebrow, he slowly made his way across the cool grass, moving faster as he realized the sounds were of struggling and were growing in frequency.

He saw the Median in his fox form, stuck in his sleeping back and ripping the material to break free. No, he wasn't trying to break free – the fox was asleep!

Cloud wriggled, squirmed, and scratched, biting and growling at the material trapping him. Sephiroth carefully reached over to wake the idiot fox up when the Median suddenly grew still as he woke up.

Eyes wide, the fox sprung out of the ruined sleeping bag, barreling into Sephiroth so hard the man stumbled a little. Sephiroth hissed in pain as he felt part of his skin hurt. He looked down and found large scratch marks on his leg. Looking up again, he saw Cloud running off quickly – probably as quickly as his legs could carry him.

Something was wrong with the fox, and in his panic, unintentionally wounded Sephiroth. Shaking his head, the man grabbed his sword, walking in the direction the Median fled.

* * *

Cloud ran blindly in the darkness, not caring where exactly he would stop, only that he was going away. _Far, far away._

He dreamed of Sephiroth. Dreamed of himself and the man engaging in coitus, as mates. The dream had intensified, escalating further and further until he had woken up.

He dreamed of Sephiroth, and the man _had seen him_. The man had seen, and now he knew.

Cloud stopped in his tracks and curled up, using his magic to disguise himself as a common brown rabbit. In his imitation body, he continued to lament over it all. As he heard the short grass crunch a little, he shrunk down to hide, seeing Sephiroth's boots move past him.

The silver-haired man was looking for him? Cloud crept forward, still disguised as a rabbit. He followed him for who-knows-how-long, watching as the man refused to give up his search.

Cloud gave up soon after. He had to show himself.

Running back far enough to where he was sure Sephiroth wouldn't see him, Cloud dropped the illusion and made the change back to his human form, shivering in the cold as he remembered that he had somehow taken off all of his clothes when he was asleep.

At least his boner was long gone.

Standing to his full height, the blond called out, "Sephiroth?"

The man heard him, and Cloud was approached. The blond was still as the man looked him over, no doubt thinking of the blond of something along the lines of _stupid_. Cloud couldn't blame him. His eyes quickly caught the small wound on Sephiroth's leg.

"I'm sorry," Cloud said quietly. "Here, let me fix that." He cautiously approached the emotionless man and placed a hand on the scratches, drawing on a little bit of his magic reserves to cast a weak healing spell.

"I'm sorry," Cloud apologized again.

Sephiroth shook his head. "It's you that you should be more worried about. It's not very safe having nightmares and running off into the wilderness soon afterwards."

"I won't do it again," Cloud promised, playing along with the idea. It was much better than the truth.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and walked back to the campsite with Cloud following him.

"Do you want to talk about your dream?"

"No," Cloud said quickly. _Never ever in a million lifetimes_ , he thought to himself. "It's fine. It's over now." _Hopefully._

Sephiroth didn't say anything else. The entire trip back to the campsite was silent save for their footsteps. Cloud wriggled into the tent first, salvaging what was left of his sleeping bag and putting his clothes on, grateful that at least the latter was still rip- and tear-free.

"Sephiroth?" Cloud tightened the ripped bag around himself and shifted to get comfortable.

"Hmm?" The silver-haired man pushed his sleeping bag towards Cloud, laying on the floor of the tent.

Cloud pushed the sleeping bag back. "Thank you. For trying to find me. I...I appreciate it."

He heard nothing in return, but it wasn't in any mean spirit. Content – for the most part –, Cloud closed his eyes to sleep again, this time without any dreams.

When he woke up the next morning, he discovered himself sleeping in Sephiroth's bag.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年12月16日（月）

Finished: 2013年12月17日（火）

A different fic I was updating was being mean to me, so this one gets another update! :D

Totally not cheering because I cockblocked a ton of readers. Nuh-uh, not at all.


	6. Chapter 6

Quietly, he took the ripped sleeping bag from the sleeping Median, taking great care not to disturb him back to consciousness. He acted quickly when Cloud was finally taken out of it, and Sephiroth nearly chuckled when the fox automatically tried to cover himself with his tail for warmth. He tried to pull the bag up from Cloud's bare feet to below his chest, but had to stop when the fox suddenly latched onto him and yanked him into a one-sided hug. Awkwardly, Sephiroth held his breath and kept still while the fox tightened his grip with both of his arms. Staying in his place, he silently watched the fox, waiting for his chance to free himself.

Ear twitching. A small sigh. Curling. More ear twitching. Uncurling.

More goddamn ear twitching. Sephiroth couldn't comprehend why the blond would not keep still. He had seemed fine before the nightmare.

That nightmare. Sephiroth could tell it was a bad dream, though with the way Cloud had looked at him awkwardly earlier, he had a feeling it had something to do with him. He continued to sit there, watching the Median as he came up with half-assed guesses as to why.

Dream Sephiroth could have murdered Dream Cloud in his dream sleep. He snorted. If that was so, Cloud would probably sleep outside for a good while before regaining enough trust in him to remember that it was only a dream and that Sephiroth had no intention of doing anything like that, not unconsciously hug him.

Possibility number two: Dream Sephiroth could have gone and burned down Dream Cloud's dream village. He shook his head at that. Horrible as it was, the idea was also ridiculous. He was never in Nibelheim for very long, having only passed through several times without lingering.

The dream had to have involved him in some way. Cloud had looked at him with a small amount of fear and some trepidation. He looked over the fox, scrutinizing the other's every action to find clues.

The ear twitching had finally stopped. Cloud curled up around him again, still shivering. Sephiroth rolled his eyes. That damn fox was making things unnecessarily hard for the both of them once again. He pushed on the blond's face, but the stubborn Median only held on tighter. Tired of it all, Sephiroth pried the arms off and hurriedly slipped the sleeping bag over Cloud and moved to his side of the tent, not caring whether the other woke up or not anymore.

Cloud moved around in the bag, but it was only to get comfortable. Several ear twitches and a little bit of curling later, the blond was still again.

Sephiroth shook his head. The fox's habits were amusing as well as frustrating, and he had to admit that he liked discovering more and more. Using the torn sleeping bag as padding, he lay on it and continued to watch the blond, waiting for sleep to finally take him as well.

* * *

Cloud wordlessly began to pack up most of their supplies and their tent while Sephiroth made breakfast, not needing to be told by the silver-haired man what he needed to do. In fact, Cloud would much rather not speak to him, sure that the incident would be brought up in conversation.

Sephiroth had seen Cloud having a wet dream about him. And _he knew_. He had to know about it.

"What's for breakfast?" Cloud finally mustered the courage to ask after finishing some of the packing.

"The exact same thing we've been having this entire trip."

"You don't have to be so rude about it," Cloud grumbled. He took out the ripped sleeping bag, having been putting that off for last because he was unsure on whether to discard it or not.

"Keep it," Sephiroth interrupted. "It's still intact for the most part, and the tears are easy to repair."

Cloud couldn't see how the rips could be sewn up; some were too big and a lot of the stuffing was leaking out. He didn't dare to question Sephiroth, however, so he rolled it up as well as he could and stashed it along with the other supplies before moving onto the tent.

"Save it. I'll be putting that one away."

Obediently, Cloud stopped what he was doing and went to take his serving of breakfast stew from Sephiroth. Silence permeated the air as he focused on his meal instead of making any attempt of conversation or direct eye contact.

"Something on your mind?"

"No," Cloud mumbled after swallowing. "Just..." he hesitated. "Wondering where we're going, that's all."

"Again?"

"I really don't think you know where we're going," Cloud admitted, finally looking Sephiroth in the eyes.

The man snorted. "You didn't seem to care before." He tipped the bowl into his mouth and drank the rest of the broth before putting the bowl down for a moment. Wiping his mouth, Sephiroth stood up and took the tent down with quick precision, obviously having been nomadic for quite a while to be able to do that part of the routine so well. Despite the amount of time Cloud had spent with Sephiroth, he still hadn't gotten the hang of it to the point where he could pack or unpack as quickly as him.

"You seemed to know what you were doing before," Cloud retorted. He let his ears prick up and lean forward when the man turned to shoot him a glare.

"I always know what I'm doing, fox. Unlike you. Isn't your species supposed to be intelligent?"

The hair on the back of Cloud's neck bristled. "Aren't you humans supposed to be good enough to stay in one place?"

Sephiroth snorted, taking his bowl and giving it a quick rinse, wasting a small amount of water. He forcefully yanked Cloud's bowl and did the same before putting both of them away. Swinging the food pack over one shoulder and grabbing his sword, the silver-haired man said, "That was my choice. Stupidity is something you happened to be born with."

"What makes you think I'm stupid?" Cloud's tail wagged of its own accord, sticking straight out behind him. He stood up and took the other pack, speeding up until he was next to Sephiroth.

"Who leaves their family and lover behind with only a note as explanation?"

 _Bastard_. "A coward does that, not an idiot."

"Good to see that you can admit it," Sephiroth said with satisfaction.

Angry that he had allowed the other man to one-up him so easily, Cloud said, "Better to admit it than to deny it and pretend otherwise, _Mister_ Sephiroth."

"I have denied nothing."

"Where are you from?"

"That is none of your business."

"As your traveling companion, I think I should know. Besides, you already know the exact place I live, or at least used to."

"It is none of your business."

"At least a vague hint would be nice."

"At least a quiet fox would be nice."

"Tell me." Cloud began to relax his tail, but he kept his ears erect. He wasn't done with Sephiroth.

"You are the strangest coward I have heard of or ever come across. You cannot face your mate and tell her why your relationship won't work, yet here you are interrogating me like your questions are of any importance. Why the difference?"

"Because I—" Cloud shut up. _Because I..._

"How am I easier to face than some female who seems nowhere near as dangerous as me?"

Cloud didn't answer. He was not—

"I think there must be something wrong with you."

_It's because..._

"I'll have you know, fox..."

_Because..._

"...you should not take me lightly."

_Because I..._

Sephiroth stopped abruptly, grabbed Cloud by the collar, and pulled their faces close – _too close_ – together. "Talk tough all you like. But remember..."

_I do it because I..._

"I can piss all over you right now and I _guarantee_ that you won't do a single thing as I mark you my property." With that, the silver-haired man released the speechless Median and continued on his way.

_...like you._

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年12月26日（木）

Finished: 2013年12月28日（土）

No angry sex? Aww...


	7. Chapter 7

He had stayed away from Sephiroth the entire day. Once they found their new camping spot, he dropped his pack and walked away from the other man, going into some bushes to strip. He quickly wriggled out of his pants and underwear, letting them drop before stepping out of them and lifting his shirt up and over his head. He let it fall to the ground carelessly before fully changing into a fox, trotting off despite the aches in his limbs once he was done.

Damn Sephiroth... Cloud was seething with anger at what the man had told him. He sneaked through the grass, honing his senses onto a single rabbit. The little creature, oblivious to its predator, nibbled on a blade of grass. Cloud lowered his body closer to the ground and prepared himself for the right moment.

The rabbit moved away from him, still ignorant of his presence. Cloud rose to his full height and jumped.

The rabbit bolted, having caught sight of him at the last second. Cloud sprinted after it, turning a sharp corner and leaping before catching it in his jaws. He shook the squealing rabbit around and used one of his paws to hold it to the ground before he pulled back and ripped the creature in two. Still angry at Sephiroth, Cloud munched on his quick snack, feeling only slightly better. He strolled off after he finished, walking aimlessly to no particular destination. He halfheartedly chased after more small prey, catching only three out of the seven he ran after. He didn't eat any more, having not been hungry in the first place, and eventually sat down by himself out in the open.

A small growl escaped him. Swishing his tail, he perked up as an idea hit him. Turning back to return to where Sephiroth was, he grinned, speeding up from a trot to a run. The tent came into view, and, slowly, he peeked inside.

Sephiroth was laying down, his chest and arms bare and his eyes closed. He was taking a quick nap.

 _Perfect_ , Cloud said to himself. He crept forward, lifted his leg, and urinated on Sephiroth's thigh.

Green eyes flew open and Cloud barely got out of the tent in time. He bared his teeth and snarled, sprayed some urine on the dirt, kicked the soiled mess at Sephiroth, and whipped his tail back and forth afterwards. The venomous looked he received promised terrible things, and Cloud backed away from the furious man, snarling again and raising his hackles. He snapped at the man, threatening to bite. Unfazed, Sephiroth continued to walk forward as Cloud backed away.

Cloud leaped away then suddenly fell to the ground, Sephiroth's body weighing him down and nearly crushing him. He clawed at the ground for leverage and managed to get to his feet, slowly dragging Sephiroth along with him. The silver-haired man dug his heels into the earth, then launched himself up onto Cloud's back, forcing the fox down again.

Cloud thrashed his head, feeling Sephiroth pull on his ears. He was sorely, _sorely_ tempted to give the man a good bite, but he held himself back. Until he heard the sound of a zipper being pulled down. Sephiroth wasn't—

He did. Cloud threw the man off of his back and ran several feet away, his fur standing on end. He looked at his side, feeling and seeing the warm liquid flow down his fur. The stench confirmed it.

Sephiroth had pissed on him. The man was shamelessly making himself decent again, zipping up his pants and leaving.

He had no way to describe how he felt right now. Mortified, yes, but there was more to it. Cloud changed back into his human form, clenching his fists in the dirt. He stood up and walked to where he had left his clothes, looking down at the ground the entire time. He fingered his clothing, settling himself down in a sitting position but did not get dressed.

He really couldn't comprehend too much at the moment besides the furious erection standing out.

He was enraged. Absolutely mad with fury. And yet – he took a quick look around for Sephiroth – he was aroused by what the man did to him. He didn't understand. He had no idea what was wrong with him, especially as he conjured a fantasy in his head while touching himself. He closed his eyes, spread his legs, and leaned back a little.

Oh how much he wanted that man. Cloud had no idea why he lusted after his companion so – the other male would do nothing but antagonize him and go out of his way to find different ways to make his life hell. Cloud bit his lip, letting out a small gasp and speeding up on his strokes. He let his imagination go a little wild, trying desperately to reduce his moans into heated puffs of air.

So very badly he wanted to pin Sephiroth down and have his way with him. One of these days, if he was ever pushed to, he was going to seduce the man to the point where he could not say no, where he would be unable to resist the allure of a fox. He would take the man as his, enter him and mark him in the most intimate way, mark him as his own for all eternity.

Cloud clenched his teeth as precum leaked from his cock. He rubbed the spot where he had been pissed on and held his fingers up to his nose where he could easily take in Sephiroth's scent. In his fantasy, he kissed Sephiroth, and the man wholeheartedly kissed him back. Median or not, the man would counter Cloud's bites with nips of his own. In the fight for dominance, Cloud was sure that he himself would win. He bit his hand to keep quiet as he came fromt he thought of laying Sephiroth onto his stomach and entering him.

Panting, Cloud rubbed both of his hands in the dirt, covering up the scent of what he had just done. He felt dirty for fantasizing about his companion like that. He rolled around in the dirt until the musky stench was covered up to the point where he was sure that a normal human wouldn't be able to smell it among the dust. He quickly tried to clean himself up as well as he could before putting his clothes back on and finally returning to the campsite.

He only hoped that Sephiroth would never learn of his lust. The man would never reciprocate, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

* * *

Sephiroth smirked as he saw a disgruntled Cloud return, dirt strewn all over him. The blond did not say a single word to him – he didn't even receive a look from the fox. It didn't matter. The fox dared to piss on him, and he was not going to allow him to get away clean. Sephiroth knew and understood the general behavior of most furry, four-legged creatures (Median or non), and he knew what the fox was going for.

He was not going to be humiliated by getting pissed on. Patiently, he watched the fox, waiting for any reaction.

A few angry glares in his direction. Nothing else.

Sephiroth shook his head. This childishness needed to stop. He distracted himself by preparing their meal.

Cloud continued to ignore him the rest of the day, even when the sun finally set and it was the time the Median generally went to bed. However, Cloud didn't go into the tent, instead watching Sephiroth with a strange expression on his face. The silver-haired man eyed him and Cloud quickly turned away, laying his ears back. A gust of wind blew downwind from Cloud's direction, the breeze bringing the blond's scent to Sephiroth's nostrils.

The silver-haired man casually turned back to watch the moon as he always did, the musky scent of sex lingering in his nostrils. If the scent was what he thought it was, he did not know how to feel about it. Not after...

"Heading to bed?" Sephiroth asked out of the blue to stop himself from going down that trail of thought.

"In a bit," Cloud mumbled, sounding melancholy. "Why?'

"I was only wondering." He scooted over and looked at the fox in silent invitation.

"Do you stare at the moon every night?" Cloud inquired, sitting relatively far away from him.

"I do. I've been doing it before bed for as long as I can remember."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I just do it."

Cloud looked up, still avoiding Sephiroth's gaze. "Don't you ever get homesick?"

"Not anymore," Sephiroth said truthfully. "Do you miss your home already?"

Cloud snorted. "'Already'? I've been missing my family and friends for a long time. Don't you have any family to worry about?"

Sephiroth took a big yet subtle sniff of Cloud's musk, the scent stirring old instincts. "It has been so long since I've spoken to mother and father that I don't know if they're even alive anymore," he admitted.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2014年1月25日（土）

Finished: 2014年1月27日（月）

Heehee, and the winner of the piss war is... Well, that's obvious.

Cloud, dominating Sephiroth? Poor delusional little fox.

Things are starting to get better... *rubs hands evilly*

Thanks for the fifty reviews! :D I can't thank everybody enough! ^o^


	8. Chapter 8

"We'll be there any day now," Sephiroth said quietly in the darkness of the tent.

"Where?"

"Cosmo Canyon."

"I see..." The blond thought of the name, finding it somewhat familiar, though he had never been very far east before. He couldn't remember where he had seen or heard the name; possibly on an old map in the inn back at his hometown. He swallowed, trying to will away the pangs of homesickness. It had been his choice to follow the silver-haired man, and he was still going through with it.

"There is a source of water nearby for you to bathe."

He hoped so. He could barely stand smelling himself, and he wondered how much worse it was for Sephiroth. He scooted farther away and curled in on himself, trying to somehow make his stench less putrid.

"Why Cosmo Canyon?" Cloud asked out of curiosity.

"It's the nearest area, and I have been there a few times."

"What's it like?"

"Peaceful."

"And...?"

"You'll know when we get there."

Cloud snorted. "Of course."

"You should know by now not to ask me anything if you want details, fox."

"You gave me a location."

"So I did. That itself was a miracle."

"Pompous bastard."

"Brat. You're asking too much considering the fact that you pissed on me."

"You got me back," Cloud grumbled. "Isn't that enough?"

"I know your kind. It wasn't simply to soil me."

_Shit..._

"I am not your property, fox."

"You sure act like it," Cloud retorted.

That was enough to render Cloud under Sephiroth, a hand threatening to clench around his neck and feline eyes promising hell.

"Say that again," Sephiroth said. "Remember how you couldn't stand up to your mate while you're at it."

"Shut up." Cloud narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth. "Didn't you say that you had had very short relationships before? How long were they, two weeks? I bet you went through ten of them, too."

"Three."

That caught Cloud off guard. "What?"

"Three different people. A woman who I was with for two months before she left me for another. A different woman who I left after less than one month. A man who had been with me for six."

A man...? Did that mean...that Sephiroth had _lied_ to him?

"My past is none of your business. Whatever I mention of it is all you will hear, and I will not tell you more no matter how much you ask."

"That doesn't mean you have to lie to me," Cloud said somewhat calmly.

"And what does this have to do with _you_?"

"It..." he trailed off. "Nothing. Forget it."

He received a look, and Cloud turned away, not wanting to see the strange expression on the other man's face. When the other didn't move after a short while, Cloud began to slide out from under him and he left the tent to give him some space.

So Sephiroth was not against having a male for a mate... But something had to have happened, most likely with his last mate, and Cloud was nearly dying to know. He sat outside, and he sighed a little as his tail swished along the grass.

It would be best, probably for the both of them, if Cloud didn't pry. He could feel the tension coming from Sephiroth, and to know that he was the cause didn't make him feel very good.

"I'm sorry," Cloud whispered to nobody in particular.

* * *

Sephiroth kept his distance away from the fox for the next few days until they arrived at Cosmo Canyon's desert-like landscape. He would take turns sleeping in and out of the tent, though he had not spoken to Cloud at all – not even to tell him ask him for help packing, unpacking, or hunting. Even so, Cloud did what he needed to do by himself, which Sephiroth was grateful for at least.

They stopped at the beach. Sephiroth set up camp away from the sand. Cloud helped with most of the routine before running off into the waves and jumping in.

From where he sat, he could see the Median dunking his head under the water for a few seconds to wet it, and he continued to watch with amusement as the fox sloshed around to get his entire body soaked.

And then the clothes came off. They lay in a messy heap in the sand as Cloud had carelessly tossed them as far as they would go before going deeper into the water. The blond went in to where the water went past his knees before sitting down. His back gleamed from the sun reflecting off the water, and Sephiroth could easily see the fox's relaxed state. Silently, he stepped forward and grabbed the clothes, taking them behind the tent.

Cloud had not noticed when he had returned. The Median was busy scrubbing his hair with salt water in an attempt to clean up, though there wasn't much he could do without soap. He didn't stay in the water much longer before he stood to his full height, giving Sephiroth a good backside and frontal view when the fox turned around, and then he discovered the missing clothes. Sephiroth didn't react to the glare he received or to the questioning look Cloud gave him afterwards. The blond stepped through the sand, clearly trying to get as little of it on his feet as possible but failing. He moved past Sephiroth to look inside the tent, and then left to look around it, finally finding his clothes and grumbling about all the sand on it. Sephiroth stared as the fox's tail lightly swished around his buttocks, getting an unobstructed view when Cloud bent over to rinse his feet and clothes.

A full, round-ish shape. Pale, like the rest of his skin. Possibly tight. Cloud lifted his tail so it wouldn't get any more wet, and Sephiroth could see his back muscles working to move the limb. He had to turn away soon after as Cloud turned and walked back near the tent. A quick glance glance at the fox, and he swore he saw red painting his cheeks.

He still didn't speak a single word to Cloud the rest of the day, and the fox seemed to want to keep away from Sephiroth more than before. The silver-haired man didn't mind too much. He was still sore from being reminded of that time.

He went into the tent that night even though it was Cloud's turn to sleep inside, but he didn't force the fox out. He waited for the other to fall asleep – Cloud's nerves must have been shot; it took him longer than usual to settle down – and he sniffed.

The stench of the dirt was slightly less prominent due to the water, but he could still smell, very faintly, the scent of his piss still on the fox.

For some reason, that gave him a feeling of satisfaction.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2014年2月15日（土）

Finished: 2014年2月18日（火）

Damn these fics for being mean to me.

Oh, and flowers. _Hue hue hue..._


	9. Chapter 9

Cloud could not comprehend what had happened that day. He refused to believe it. But he saw it with his own eyes, and he couldn't deny that it had happened.

Sephiroth was staring at his ass. He was staring at it with a strange look on his face, as if he were studying. It made Cloud very uncomfortable, and he wasn't feeling too well even after they began the walk up to Cosmo Canyon the next day. He walked a little slowly, looking at the ground. It was very dry land, and he was unused to it. Rocket Town was the farthest he'd ever been from Nibelheim, and the newness of it all helped distract him from his thoughts.

Cosmo Canyon towered over him, leaving him in as much awe as he had been when he had seen the leaning rocket for the first time. He was sure that the rocket in well, _Rocket_ Town, was much taller than the observatory, but it was nonetheless a sight to behold.

Sephiroth was greeted by a man at the gate, and the two engaged in some small talk that Cloud didn't pay much attention to. It wasn't until he heard Sephiroth mention "I have a guest" that he pried his eyes away from the observatory and the buildings peeking out from parts of the canyon. The man stepped to the side, and Sephiroth went through the arch. Cloud followed behind him, being led to the...village? Cloud really didn't know what to call this place; it was too complex for a village or a town, yet it was not quite a city, either.

Sephiroth climbed up some steps and went inside one of the caves, leading Cloud to what the blond assumed was the inn. Sephiroth booked a room and took the key, going over to the room and setting down his supplies once he was inside. Cloud did the same, taking care not to touch anything else. He felt extra grimy, and he really wanted to clean himself up properly.

"Where are the showers at?"

Sephiroth gave him directions and Cloud quickly left with a change of clothes in his arms.

* * *

The silver-haired man contemplated following Cloud to shower as well, but he decided to wait for the time being. He felt sweaty and disgusting, but he was sure that things would be even more awkward between him and the fox if he went along and joined in.

His thoughts quickly turned to _him_. Sephiroth sighed at the painful memory and tried to push it to the back of his mind. He hadn't thought about that night for so long, and for it to come back to him stung.

Sephiroth clutched at his forehead. What he'd had with his last ex-lover was over, had been over for about a year already. He'd moved on, and there was no reason for him to suddenly be thinking back on it. Besides, it wasn't like he was entirely alone anymore. Sephiroth was solitary by nature, but even he succumbed to the occasional loneliness, and his new companion filled the void, even if the long-haired man wasn't always in the best of moods around him.

He liked Cloud – as a friend. And Sephiroth hoped to keep it that way. The last disaster of a relationship kept him from wanting to go any further with the blond in that department.

...but should he give the fox a chance? He was very suspicious of the blond's behavior towards him at times, and he had a feeling that Cloud had less platonic feelings for him. If Sephiroth was truthful, he did see some things in the Median that he liked.

Cloud was a pleasure to talk to even though Sephiroth withheld personal information; the blond helped Sephiroth whenever he needed it and never made excuses; it never ceased to entertain Sephiroth when the blond moved in his sleep while taking a nap; the blond had a bright, likeable personality, and there was hardly a time when Sephiroth wasn't having fun with him. Hell, even the less intense verbal arguments with Cloud were fun. Those were definitely what Sephiroth considered good qualities in a traveling companion, yes, but when it came to actually being together...

No. He couldn't. History would repeat itself if he did.

* * *

Cloud felt wonderful. It had been so long since he'd felt clean, and he felt lighter now, too. Making his way back to the inn, he clutched his dirty clothes in one hand, keeping them away from his body.

"...one of _them_."

Cloud slowed his pace down and looked back.

A short young man looked at him with slight disgust, his rounded ears drooping. His tail hung limply. Cloud felt his skin prickle as he sensed the hostility emanating from the raccoon dog Median. The blond wordlessly turned around and continued on his way, finding Sephiroth pacing restlessly.

"Are you alright?"

Sephiroth nodded but said nothing. He brushed past Cloud as he left the room. Shrugging, the blond put his clothes down in a corner, reminding himself to wash them later.

There was a tanuki here... It had been ages since Cloud had last met one, but the hatred was still there. The feud between the foxes and the raccoon dogs was strong, both species having blamed the other for numerous tricks and incidents over the ages. The blond wondered if there were more here, but he figured that he was safe if he did nothing to provoke anybody. The tanuki were like the foxes in which their magic was of the illusion type, and the stories passed down the generations told of foxes tricking humans and/or other Medians and passing the blame onto the tanuki or vice versa. Cloud never cared about the tanuki Medians nor did he jump onto the bandwagon to declare that he hated them, but those few that he met always at least stiffened and looked uncomfortable at the mere sight of a fox.

Cloud threw himself onto a bed, crossing his arms under his head. He was getting worked up over nothing. If anybody did try to start something with him, he'd put a stop to it quickly. Besides, he didn't stink anymore and there was more space between him and Sephiroth in this room, and neither of them had to argue over who slept on the floor. The blond figured that he should enjoy the new comforts while they lasted and turned on his side. Stretching lazily and yawning, he made himself comfortable and decided to take a quick nap.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2014年5月3日（土）

Finished: 2014年5月6日（火）

I've been addicted to video games lately and writing fics has been hard. Well, I managed to defeat the sudden urge to play games, but then the urge to doodle came along. Bleh. The summer hiatus might come early... ;_; I hated it last year, nooooooo.

69 reviews. Of all the numbers to get stuck on-! XD

It's been a while since I've played the original game and I can't remember too much of Cosmo Canyon. I apologize for any errors present here.


	10. Chapter 10

Sephiroth was plagued by those thoughts again even during his shower. He couldn't get them out of his head no matter what he tried to focus on – even over-thinking the mundane task of washing his hair couldn't distract them. He sighed and rinsed himself, scrubbing the muck off of his body and immediately feeling lighter afterwards.

While what had happened that night was nowhere near Cloud's fault, Sephiroth cursed the fox anyways. If only the blond hadn't triggered those memories...

He'd been whining enough. It was time for him to stop and try to move on again. With a small exhale of air through his nose, Sephiroth rinsed the suds off of his body and grabbed the towel to dry himself off. Once finished, he put his clean clothes on before heading back to the inn.

The fox was curled up on one of the beds, facing the wall. Sephiroth could tell by the way his side expanded and contracted slightly that he was asleep. Not wanting to disturb his companion, he tossed his dirty clothes to the side and sat on the unoccupied bed. The mattress felt so comfortable already. He let himself fall onto his back, stretching and relaxing.

Cloud jumped and sat up quickly, his fur puffed up a little. Sephiroth chuckled lightly.

"My bad. I didn't mean to wake you." The long-haired man turned onto his side, facing the fox.

The Median scratched the back of his head, his ears pointing backward. "It's fine. I should get up anyways." He seemed reluctant to leave the bed, however.

"Go back to sleep if you want. I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm not tired anymore," Cloud insisted. "I'm just...thinking."

 _About what?_ Sephiroth questioned in his mind, though he didn't dare to ask out loud just yet.

"The raccoon dogs..." Cloud continued. "I didn't think there would be one here."

"Oh, them. There is a family or two here, yes. I don't think they were originally from here, but I don't meddle in other people's affairs. Is there something I need to know about?"

"The foxes and raccoon dogs never really did get along," Cloud said bitterly. "Lots of hate and prejudice and..." He sighed. "I met one earlier and he wasn't the most polite person I've ever come across. I don't want you to get involved in something stupid like this, but I'd like to at least have an estimate of how many of them are here."

Sephiroth raised a brow. He'd heard those stories of blame and trickery long ago but never expected them to still be relevant. "I honestly don't know. It's been a long while since I've been here and I never paid much attention in the first place."

"Guess I'll have to find out myself." Cloud rubbed his eyes and moved to where he now sat on the edge of the bed. "And about the other day, I..."

Sephiroth gave the blond an expectant look.

"...I'm sorry," the Median finished, looking down at his toes.

Hiding his surprise, Sephiroth said, "Forget it. It doesn't matter anymore. Just enjoy yourself while we're still here. We'll be on the move again eventually."

"Alright," Cloud said quietly, almost mumbling. He stood up to look for some socks and his shoes before slipping them on. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Have fun," Sephiroth commented without thinking.

"I'll try," Cloud remarked dryly. His tail swished behind him as he left the room.

* * *

Cloud estimated that it was near sunset by the time he walked up the steps to one of the highest parts of the Canyon, where the observatory was. He walked over to the rail and looked over it, marveling at the long drop to the very bottom. He then looked up.

If it was even possible to touch the sky, then this was the closest Cloud had and would ever be to it. He felt at peace despite the great height, and he continued to enjoy himself and the sights. He could see _everything_ from up there. It was wonderful.

The blond was attempting to look as far out into the landscape as he possibly could when his ears swivelled to catch the sound of footsteps and chatter. The noises immediately stopped, and the fox felt tension emanating from the presence.

Turning around, Cloud saw the young man again. The fox kept a blank expression as the tanuki looked at him with disgust, his companion – who had no animal ears or tail present – doing the same. Unconsciously, Cloud tensed, beginning to prepare himself for a fight.

"Why is a _fox_ here?" the tanuki asked, nearly spitting the word out.

"I don't want any trouble," Cloud said quickly, his ears standing at attention. His tail slowly began to rise.

"Foxes are always trouble," the human boy said bitterly.

"Get out of here," the tanuki growled.

"I'm not going anywhere," Cloud said stiffly.

The raccoon dog gave the human a quick glance before they both transformed. Both of the tanuki stepped forward, their four legs moving stiffly.

The fox snorted. There were only two of them. In a physical fight, he could easily push both of them aside without hurting anybody. But, of course, the tanuki were the kind to use the magic of illusion. Cloud was by no means a master at it, but foxes were adept at illusion and trickery.

Cloud slipped out of his clothes and threw them on the ground before he began the change, ignoring the aches in his bones. He growled lightly as the fur on the back of his neck began to stand on end. The raccoon dogs froze for a moment before charging.

Out of nowhere, four more tanuki appeared, catching Cloud by surprise. The fox was knocked backwards and into the hole which held the ladder. Cloud yelped in pain as he fell down, his back and shoulders scraping against the sides and the ladder until he hit the bottom. He didn't have much time to get to his feet when he was assaulted by the raccoon dogs again. Using his magic, the blond started a fire, guiding the blue flames to surround himself as he made his escape.

He was only able to make it to very bottom of the canyon before something barreled into him and the illusion was broken.

Cloud didn't want any trouble in the first place, nor did he want to make anything worse than how it already was. He was left with no choice, however, but to defend himself.

A raccoon dog squealed in pain as Cloud bit its foreleg. As the fox drew blood, the action triggered all of the tanuki into a riot, and more appeared as if out of thin air. Very soon, Cloud was swamped by an army of furry bodies, and he was unable to move very far. He snarled and bit back as many sets teeth sunk themselves into various parts of his body.

"No!" he heard somebody yell. "Fight with the weapons nature gave you!"

Confused, the Median struggled against his assailants, realizing that somebody else was helping him as tanuki were pushed and shoved off of him.

Sephiroth looked down on him and pulled him by the scruff of his neck until he was on all fours again. The blond noticed that there were significantly less tanuki left, and he cursed. It was an illusion of their's, and he had fallen for it. Assuming the ones he saw now were real, there were only about ten.

"We want the fox," a raccoon dog in his human form growled. "Stay out of our business."

"The fox _is_ my business," Sephiroth replied calmly. "If you want to attack him, you're attacking me."

 _No_ , Cloud wanted to say, but of course, he couldn't. He had no time to react before the tanuki closed in once more, using another illusion to make it seem like there were many of them attacking all at once. Even Sephiroth had trouble fending them off with his hand to hand skills, though he only did real damage to the fakes and shoved the real ones aside.

Cloud didn't even bother. There was no turning back now, and the raccoon dogs were mad with fury over one of their own. He bit, scratched, and snarled, managing to grab one by the throat. He lifted it into the air and roughly shook his head back and forth. He didn't know what he was doing anymore and zoned out. He didn't care that he had all of their attention focused entire on him. He didn't care that Sephiroth tried desperately to distract some of them.

Cloud didn't care about anything at all until he heard the popping of bones, until some of his attackers froze in fear.

The fox turned around. Next to him was the largest wolf he had ever seen in his life.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2014年6月13日（金）

Finished: 2014年6月14日（土）

GODDAMMIT CLOUD AFTER YOU HAD JUST TAKEN A BATH AND EVERYTHING.

Okay, for seriously now, long time no update! Buuuuut, I came back! And with the big reveal! ~~And a cliff-hanger because I'm mean like that~~. I remember somebody once guessing "nine-tailed fox" as the true form and I all have to say is...no. This isn't Naruto.

I'm really tempted to draw this, but I have no artistic skill whatsoever. Poo. Though I will say I thought that this took me two days instead of one. I really messed up my sleep schedule. ._.

I'll be dropping out for a while to do some editing, but I'll try to update this one soon, I swear.


	11. Chapter 11

The silver wolf growled lowly, pulling back his lips and wrinkling them as he bared his teeth. Hackles raised, ears forward, and tail straight up, Sephiroth snarled and snapped at Cloud's shoulder, forcing a loud cry from the fox and causing him to release the raccoon dog.

The tanuki backed away in fear as Sephiroth took a menacing step forward. They ran and scattered when he lunged forward and snapped his jaws closed near the one Cloud had dropped. The injured tanuki stumbled and tripped as it tried to get on its feet and run, fleeing at full speed once he was able to.

One of Sephiroth's legs trembled violently, but the wolf seemed to not notice. His growls grew quieter and he relaxed his body, lowering his tail about halfway and keeping his ears erect. He turned and looked at Cloud for a short moment before immediately setting off into a run towards the entrance to the Canyon.

Gods, the wolf was so fast. He was already at the gates by the time Cloud began to move. The fox leaped forward, then stopped in his tracks to grab what he could of Sephiroth's clothes before chasing after his companion again.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud tried to yell, but nothing came out other than muffled whines. He struggled to keep hold of his burden and be able to see and run at the same time. The Median leaped every so often, trying to catch up to the wolf. He was still too far when he ran past the gates and saw Sephiroth jump off part of the cliff.

Cloud's eyes widened in horror, and he sped down the path as quickly as possible. He heard an outburst of pain, and then he saw that Sephiroth was up and moving again, just as fast as he'd been going before. There was even more distance between them now, even as Cloud picked up the pace. The fox could only see a large speck in front of him. He was starting to run out of energy, and Sephiroth was far too fast. It didn't seem like he was going to stop anytime soon.

The blond was proven wrong when he saw the wolf collapse. The fox quickly closed the distance between them, skidding to a stop near Sephiroth and dropping his clothes. Worriedly, Cloud changed back into his human form.

Sephiroth breathed heavily, his tongue out of his open mouth. He had a blank look in his eyes, as if he were dazed. Cloud brought the clothes closer to him before abandoning them and standing over the wolf.

"Sephiroth," Cloud called in a low voice to get his attention. His companion turned his head slightly to acknowledge him. The wolf growled lowly, showing his big teeth. Cloud got closer, sitting down in front of him when Sephiroth did nothing else. The blond put his hand on the wolf's head, pulling it back when he heard a low whine. Long, slender, strong legs trembled.

 _His body gave out_ , Cloud realized. _He must be in agony._ Carefully, he grabbed the wolf's head and put it in his lap, gently running his fingers through thick, silky fur.

"How long were you hiding this part of yourself?" Cloud murmured. He waved a hand in front of Sephiroth to get his attention, not stopping until the wolf had his eye on him. "Why were you hiding something so beautiful in the first place?"

Sephiroth shifted his gaze away from Cloud and blinked. He sighed, his panting slowing down a bit afterwards.

The blond kept looking down, kept petting his silent companion. After a while, he smiled.

"I really thought you were a cat, you know. It was your eyes. You're probably the only wolf to have eyes like these. I wonder how you got them..." Cloud stilled for a moment, then grabbed Sephiroth's head and made him meet his eyes.

"Talk to me," Cloud begged. "Please." He bent over the wolf awkwardly and hugged him. "Tell me what's wrong."

He heard the sounds of popping bones and could feel strange movement in his arms. Cloud let Sephiroth go and waited, watching him slowly change back into a complete human form. The blond touched Sephiroth's arm but stopped when he heard a pained hiss.

"Everything hurts," Sephiroth said quietly.

Cloud nodded in understanding and kept his hands away from the silver-haired man. "Tell me why you're hiding."

Sephiroth closed his eyes and sighed. His frown grew. After a very long while, he whispered, "He left me."

"Who?"

"Him."

Cloud looked at Sephiroth with confusion before he remembered. "Your mate?"

The other man nodded but said nothing else.

"Why?" Cloud asked.

"Because I'm like this."

Cloud's ears drooped. He ran his fingers through Sephiroth's hair. "That's horrible. If he couldn't accept all of you, then he wasn't worth it anyways."

That seemed to make Sephiroth feel even worse. Cloud quickly thought of something else to say.

"But I don't understand. I'm just like you. Why did you have to hide everything from me, too?"

Sephiroth didn't answer. No matter how long Cloud waited, the other man refused to.

Defeated, the blond said, "We should try going back to the inn for tonight and then leave tomorrow. Do you think you'll be able to walk?"

Wordlessly, Sephiroth sat up, gritting his teeth and breathing hard when he managed to do it. He rejected Cloud's offer to help him and, with great difficulty, brought himself to his feet. His legs struggled to support him, but Sephiroth didn't seem to care. The silver-haired man took his pants and trench coat from the blond – the only things the fox was able to quickly recover from the scene – and put them on. Out of respect, Cloud looked away, knowing that Sephiroth would stop him from helping anyways. Several minutes of pained groans, sighs, and hisses, Sephiroth walked forward, back towards the entrance to Cosmo Canyon. The blond quietly followed him, noticing that the other man dragged his feet a bit.

"Are you sure you can walk all the way back?" Cloud asked.

"I'll be fine."

The blond didn't believe him. Boldly, he went forward and took his companion by the arm, walking a bit faster and forcing Sephiroth to put some of his weight on him. The silver-haired man gave him a look of disapproval but didn't protest. Cloud slowed down, keeping the pace to one Sephiroth could easily match in his condition.

The sky was significantly darker by the time they returned to the Canyon. It was only when they passed the gates that Cloud was aware of his nudity. Keeping his head low in embarrassment, he led Sephiroth to their room in the Inn before running out to look for his clothes.

No more raccoon dogs were out. Cloud thanked the gods, and his luck doubled when he found his clothes were he'd originally abandoned them. Quickly, he slipped them on and climbed back down the ladder, taking what was left of Sephiroth's possessions and bringing them inside as well.

"Thank you," was how the wolf had greeted the fox when he returned. Sephiroth lay on the bed, already under the covers.

Cloud carefully put the boots, sword, pauldrons, and suspenders down into a spot that was out of the way before sitting on his bed.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, concerned.

Sephiroth nodded.

"Will you tell me what's wrong? I promise it'll only stay between us." _Not like I have anybody to tell anymore_ , Cloud thought.

"I need some time. I'm tired," Sephiroth said simply, making it obvious that talking was the last thing on his mind at the moment.

Cloud's ears lay low as he sighed. He took his shoes off and made himself comfortable on the bed, feeling gross. He was going to need another shower tomorrow.

"How long were you hiding?"

Sephiroth paused for a moment, as if he were thinking.

"About two months."

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2014年8月20日（水）

Finished: 2014年8月21日（木）

Despite all the cat jokes I've made, I've always thought of Sephiroth as wolf-like.

Merrr, long time no update! This is another fic I hope to update more often for now. I think it'll be easy because I can finally start to spill info. But not everything is going to be revealed so soon. ;D And I know what everybody's _really_ waiting for. Yes, that will happen relatively soon...

Would you accept my apology in the form of a picture of fox Cloud which I drew the other day?  



	12. Chapter 12

When Sephiroth first met Zack Fair, getting along was the last thing he'd thought they would do. And of course, at first, the other man did absolutely nothing other than get on his nerves and frustrate the living hell out of him. He wasn't sure when things had begun to change, nor could he even guess. But there was a day when Sephiroth stopped being so cold and distant towards him. The endless attempts to start a conversation made by Zack soon took their toll, and even one as anti-social as Sephiroth had to give in at some point.

When Sephiroth first began to actually respond to Zack Fair, he found it oddly pleasant to have somebody to talk to, even if it was about mundane things. It certainly was better to talk to Zack than to let him chatter on about nothing. It was through casual conversation that he learned Zack was an avid fan of the outdoors, wrestling, was more than eager to help anybody with anything, and countless other things that Sephiroth couldn't really keep track of all at once.

When Sephiroth first began to date Zack Fair, he'd had the time of his life. None of his previous relationships were as enjoyable, and he learned more and more about Zack as the days went by. The silver-haired man even discovered that one of the things he really wanted in life would be possible to gain with Zack.

Although the spats were there, everything was perfect. Sephiroth could not be any happier, and he had high hopes for life being good.

* * *

Cloud barely had enough time to take another shower before Sephiroth made it very apparent that he wanted to leave. The fox stood behind Sephiroth, his hair still wet, as the silver-haired Median apologized to a group of people for the trouble. The entire exchange went as civilly as it possibly could, though Cloud could still feel tension in the air.

Soon enough, they were off walking again. Cloud kept his head down.

Sephiroth seemed upset, almost to the point of depression. He was far from broken, Cloud could tell, but he was definitely down.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Cloud said after a few moments of walking. "Anything about it at all?"

Without stopping or looking back, Sephiroth shook his head.

"Please, Sephiroth. I'm not asking you to tell me because I want to know. It's to help _you_."

"What does it matter to you? It's my problem, not yours."

Cloud couldn't help but grit his teeth at the other man's tone. "It's not really any of my business, but I don't like seeing you like this. Is it a crime to want to help you?"

"I don't want or need any help," Sephiroth snapped, stopping suddenly. "It was my fault for letting it happen. If I hadn't done that..." He trailed off for a moment. "Everything would be different, to say the least. But what happened, happened."

"It's not your fault," Cloud said, getting frustrated. "There's no way anything that happened could've—"

"We're burning daylight," Sephiroth interrupted, sounding angry. He said nothing else as he began walking again, moving noticeably faster than before.

Unconsciously, the fur on Cloud's tail puffed up a little. The fox followed Sephiroth, refusing to give up.

"It's not your fault," Cloud said.

Sephiroth ignored him.

"It's not your fault."

Sephiroth began to walk faster.

"It's not your fault!" Cloud said more loudly. "Just listen to me!"

"I don't need to listen to you," Sephiroth said coldly.

"You can't just keep hiding the other part of yourself like this. You can't be haunted by your past mate forever."

"Midgar has taught me otherwise," Sephiroth countered. "Passing off as human is the best way to live there, and my changes were extremely limited."

"That's no way to live!" Cloud yelled, about to go insane. "Stop making excuses!"

"Stop bothering me!" Sephiroth retaliated, turning on Cloud.

"I'm only 'bothering' you because I care," Cloud said, his ears forward and tail up. He wasn't deterred by Sephiroth's look of fury.

"It's unnecessary. You're only wasting your time."

"Nature gave us Medians a second form to run free as an animal and to coexist with the humans at the same time. For one of us to have to keep our other form hidden is..." the blond trailed off, unable to explain.

Sephiroth understood, however. "Moon was always saddened when her children refused to use Her gifts..."

"What?"

The wolf Median shook his head. "Nothing. We're wasting time again."

"Stop being so stubborn."

"Stop bothering me," Sephiroth retorted. Once again, he started to walk, and this time, he refused to even acknowledge Cloud. The blond eventually gave up for the day, but he was far from done.

* * *

The two finally made it out onto the grasslands and set up camp near a river after sunset. Exhausted, Sephiroth tended the fire, gnawing on a piece of jerky to curb his hunger while he prepared dinner. He could sense Cloud looming behind him, and he was sure that the annoying fox would bring the subject back up now.

"Sephiroth..."

The silver-haired man tensed.

"...Nobody else is here but me. I'm just like you."

_"It's just the two of us. What more could we ever need?"_

_"Food. Oxygen. A place to live. Various other basic necessities."_

_"Too literal, Sephiroth. You know what I meant."_

_"I love you, too, Zack."_

Sephiroth shook his head and did nothing else.

"Please," Cloud begged.

"You're asking for too much."

"Just your ears. For now," the blond added.

"I have no reason to listen to you. You're just a burden, and now you're going too far."

"If I was such a burden to you, you would never have agreed to let me go with you," Cloud said, anger evident in his voice again. "And if I'm going too far, why am I still here? Why aren't you driving me away?"

_"Trying to get rid of me?" Zack said with a pout._

_"Who wouldn't?"_

_"I'm hurt. You're so cruel." The smile on Zack's face, however, said something else._

_"Yes, I am. Now shoo."_

_Sephiroth couldn't help but grin when Zack did the exact opposite. He held his arms open, inviting his lover into his embrace and accepting the sloppy kiss given to him._

_"You're a bad actor sometimes," Zack snickered._

_"There was no act this time."_

_"Don't push me away, okay? I'm here for you."_

Sephiroth turned around, his eyes glued to the ground. The memory, although small and almost insignificant then, was painful now. He felt the skin on his ears stretch, could feel the cartilage extending and thinning out as both of his ears changed shape and length. Suddenly, he winced, the new sounds too much for him. He pulled his ears back and covered them with his hands, feeling the hair on them grow.

Quickly, Cloud rushed towards Sephiroth, his body touching the other man's as he put his hands over Sephiroth's ears as well.

The blond had no idea what he was doing. All he knew was that he wanted to ease the discomfort.

Contrary to what he expected, Sephiroth didn't push him away. With one arm, he gave Cloud a sort of half-hug.

"I'm sorry," Cloud whispered, trying not to further irritate Sephiroth's ears.

"No..." Sephiroth said just as quietly. "Thank you." He put his other hand down. "It's about time I got used to this again."

Cloud looked up at those eyes, at those lips. How he wanted so badly to kiss them...

 _No_ , the blond thought. _It's way too soon._

"But I'm going to hide them when we hit Costa del Sol. Too many people there know me."

Something clenched in Cloud's chest, but he let it slide. He made a small victory now, and that was enough.

"Just don't hide the other part of yourself when you don't have to anymore. It's not good for you. That's all I ask."

"Will you do anything in return?"

Cloud pulled away to properly look Sephiroth in the eyes. "For every personal thing I ask and you answer, you can ask me anything you want in return. Deal?"

Sephiroth made a face, as if he wasn't entire happy with the trade.

"Deal," he said a bit reluctantly.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2014年9月5日（金）

Finished: 2014年10月30日（木）

"I'm not going to take a long time on this again," Zetran said. "Nope, I will get my ass in gear for fics this time for sure."

Please murder me. These kinds of delays aren't funny. Ugh. I could've sworn it was only a little over 10 days ago that I started this, though. Did I just write on the wrong document? We shall never know.

Cloud and Sephiroth should just snap and have angry sex already. And then they should have make-up sex afterwards. I hope this chapter doesn't come off as too sudden...

Halloween tomorrow, and I still have RL stuff to do. *sobs* Again, I'll do what I can to get back into fic writing, but I won't promise anything any time soon... In the meantime, have a safe and Happy Halloween, everybody~

Oh, oh, before I forget, check out this lovely fanart by SerinuCeli: http://serinuceli.deviantart.com/art/Request-Tanuki-Cloud-478700810


	13. Chapter 13

Cloud rolled over and shivered, pulling his sleeping bag against his skin. The material did nothing to help warm him up, and he was soon awake. The fox opened his eyes and rolled onto his stomach, quickly noticing the empty spot next to him. Sitting up, Cloud found the tent flap open. Still shivering, he stuck his head outside, rubbing his arms and wishing he'd packed clothing to better repel the cold.

Sephiroth sat under the moon. Much to Cloud's pleasure, the other man still had his wolf ears out. The blond dug through the supplies, finally finding the blanket. Sleepy, but not wanting to go back to bed, the fox draped the blanket over his arms and left the tent, approaching Sephiroth from behind.

Sephiroth's ears swivelled backwards, but the man did not turn around. Cloud stood next to Sephiroth, looking up at the moon with him as he did that one time, long ago.

"Aren't you tired?" the blond asked.

Sephiroth shook his head. He looked so at peace, Cloud couldn't help but join in and sit next to him.

"How are you not cold?" Cloud asked with disbelief.

Sephiroth looked at him from the corner of his eye and cracked a small smile. "I'm freezing."

Cloud grabbed at the blanket on him and began to drape it over Sephiroth when the other man stopped him.

"I don't need it," the wolf said, making Cloud frown and throw the blanket on top of Sephiroth anyways. The fox then got under it and pressed his body close to Sephiroth's to generate heat.

"You're like a block of ice!" Cloud exclaimed, shivering even more.

Sephiroth shrugged, but did nothing to help or stop Cloud. He merely sat there, looking up at the sky.

The blond continued to shiver until the heat gradually grew. Once he was somewhat warm, he scooted away from Sephiroth a little to give him space.

"Why are you awake?" Sephiroth asked softly, curious.

"Cold," Cloud said simply. "How much longer are you going to stay out here?"

"As long as I want to. What does it matter to you?"

"I can't let you freeze."

Sephiroth snorted. "We've had discussions like this before."

The fox swished his tail in the grass. Then he remembered something.

"Why won't you let your tail out, too?"

"We agreed on the ears and only the ears," Sephiroth said.

"Don't get so defensive. I was only asking," Cloud huffed.

Sephiroth sighed a little. "I don't really want to change."

"Why not?" Cloud asked with genuine concern in his voice.

"I..." Sephiroth looked down. "I'm not really sure. Past memories, I suppose."

The fox took the hint. "Then don't change. Not until you feel comfortable."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes, continuing to look down. "I'm a disgrace to Moon."

"Who?"

"It's a long story."

"Tell me anyways."

"You'll just fall asleep. Get to bed."

"I don't feel like it. Tell me."

Sephiroth twitched his ears in slight annoyance and gave in. "Moon looks down on all of us from the sky. She saw humans yearning to run free like the wolf, and saw the wolves yearning to walk on two legs like humans. So she gave the humans a wolf skin, and they taught the wolves how to walk on two legs. That is how 'we' were born. Moon gave us these gifts to make us happy. To refuse to use what She gave us is ungrateful." He smiled bitterly. "It's only a story now. If it was ever true at all, it's not relevant anymore. But it's still unnatural for someone like me to stay as one form all the time. I've grown too used to pretending to be a human. I can't stop."

Cloud's ears drooped as he heard the confession. "It's not your fault."

"It isn't," Sephiroth agreed. "But whether it's my fault or not, nothing has changed. I'm not sure if it will."

"You finally have your ears out," Cloud reminded him. "That's a step forward."

"They're only out for now."

Cloud frowned, but he let it slide. He was satisfied that Sephiroth opened up to him a little more. It went by more easily than the blond thought it would.

"Are you ever going to return to your hometown?"

Surprised at being asked something, Cloud hesitated for a moment before he was able to think again. "Maybe someday. There's nothing for me there anymore, but I don't want to leave my mother alone forever."

"She's a grown woman and can take care of herself."

The comment offended Cloud, and he was about to retort defensively when he suddenly had to fight back a few laughs.

"Well... You're right," the fox said after a quick moment of thinking it over. "She's a strong woman. She had to raise me all by herself. I bet it was difficult... I can't remember my father much. He died when I was pretty young."

"I'm sorry," Sephiroth said quietly, looking at Cloud.

The blond shook his head. "Like I said, it was a long time ago, and I can barely remember a thing. I was too young to be able to remember. What about you? What about your family?"

Sephiroth made a face, and Cloud inwardly smirked. The wolf seemed to be well aware of their deal.

"Mother and father both raised me. I was an only child and part of my life involved growing up during Famine. You've seen it yourself here, but over where I grew up, it was much worse. It's hard to find food on a normal day in the snow, and it's nearly impossible to survive during Famine. We all pulled through, somehow. Even when I was old enough to live on my own, I continued to stay there. We're the last of our kind, and it was better that we all stuck together. But then I heard that Midgar was recruiting SOLDIERs. I wanted to leave then. I wanted to be able to give my family better living conditions. It's better to live in a warm home and not have to constantly ration food day to day in times where food wasn't very plentiful, wouldn't you agree?"

Cloud nodded, signalling for Sephiroth to continue.

"Father was indifferent. Mother was against it. She said it was better to roam wild and free and go hungry than to sacrifice liberty for comfort. I left anyways, and I've been in Midgar for nearly ten years now. That's where I met Jill, Aeris, and....Zack."

Sephiroth abruptly went silent. Cloud didn't push him to continue.

"Want to go to bed now?" Cloud asked in an attempt to ease the new tension.

Sephiroth nodded and stood up, leaving the blanket with Cloud. The fox followed the other man inside the tent and crawled back into his sleeping bag.

"Do you want it?" Cloud asked, holding up the blanket.

"I don't need it," Sephiroth muttered sleepily. He shifted in his own sleeping bag, then turned over onto his side and closed his eyes.

"Good night," Cloud said quietly, pulling the blanket into his sleeping bag and covering himself up.

"...night."

The blond curled up as he made himself comfortable. Throughout the night, as he tossed and turned, he couldn't stop thinking about what Sephiroth had said or how he'd reacted to saying that one name.

* * *

Notes: 

Started: 2015年1月2日（金）

Finished: 2015年1月7日（水）

I think things are quickly getting easier to write and Cloud and Sephiroth are getting even closer now. I won't guarantee quick updates, but I'll see what I can do.

Sorry if the formatting seems weird. FFNet removed its HTML editor and I had to find another way to put this in. Ugh, I didn't think the people who ran that site could become even bigger assholes, but looks like I'm wrong.


	14. Chapter 14

Cloud trailed along after Sephiroth in his fox form, swishing his tail and keeping his ears up. He carried the prey he helped hunt in a large knapsack on his back, following Sephiroth back to their newest camp. Once there, Sephiroth took the pack off of him and set it down before walking away.

"I'm going to find some firewood. Watch the meat."

Cloud curled up near the knapsack and watched as Sephiroth roamed around within eyesight. He stood up and took a rabbit out of the pack, then laid back down and gnawed on it.

If he were honest, he would admit he was tired of traveling. He didn't like not knowing what day it was – he'd lost track a very long time ago – and he was sick of feeling unclean all the time.

The fox ripped the rabbit's head off and ate it. He almost wanted to go home. Almost. What he really wanted was to settle down somewhere for a while. Somewhere with proper bedding, showers, food... He couldn't believe he'd wanted to live on his own out in the wilderness before. But he wasn't away from home and comfort this long. Now he was beginning to rethink things.

Cloud's ears caught the sound of Sephiroth's boots crunching through the grass. He held the rest of the rabbit in his mouth and watched Sephiroth place the firewood on the ground, next to the tent. The silver-haired man left again, presumably to go collect more. Cloud munched and swallowed the rest of his snack before curling up again in front of the knapsack. He yawned and relaxed.

He couldn't forget that Sephiroth made this new life bearable, and that he was the reason Cloud had come along in the first place. Still, Cloud would kill to be able to take a small break from it. He hadn't seen a single town in so long...

The fox began to feel lighter and lighter and didn't bother trying to fight his sleepiness. He slowly drifted off, and his breathing evened out.

The sound of crunching came again. Cloud's ears twitched, but he made no other movement. He heard something drop and jolted, but relaxed when he remembered Sephiroth. It must've been him. With that in mind, he uncurled, stretching his body out only slightly, with the intent to go back to sleep. Faintly, he heard more footsteps in the grass, but he paid no mind to it. That is, until he felt something touch him.

Cloud held his breath and kept still as Sephiroth's hand brushed over his head. He felt the gentle touches against his fur and unconsciously leaned into them. He let his ears lay flat when Sephiroth touched and scratched behind him. His discomfort faded into pleasure, and he was soon bubbling with it. The fox let out a long, happy whine and stretched his legs out even more before rolling over onto his back, making his lips move to form a toothy grin. He squirmed and whined again when Sephiroth scratched under his chin.

He'd never ever been petted before. It felt...good.

Before Cloud could properly bask in the lovely feelings, he was forced to yelp as he felt a quick, sharp yank on his tail. He opened his eyes as he was lifted in the air, then looked at Sephiroth before snarling.

The wolf had his ears forward, that piercing gaze boring into the blond's eyes. "Wake up," he said. He shook the fox up a bit, prompting another angry snarl. "I don't tolerate slackers letting our food get taken away." He let go.

The blond hit the ground with his side, grunting sharply. He glared at Sephiroth and shook himself off before hastily trotting away to get his clothes. He transformed, put his clothes on, then looked for the drinking water before taking a couple of chugs.

Sephiroth looked at him slyly. It was a little odd for him to be smiling, but it was better than his more depressed moods. Even so, Cloud frowned at him and rolled his eyes.

"There are better ways to wake someone up, you know," Cloud muttered.

"I know."

_Oh yes. You know perfectly well_ , Cloud thought wryly. He put the water away. "Why were you touching me, anyways?"

"I wasn't."

"Let me rephrase that. Why were you _molesting_ me?"

Sephiroth huffed in surprise.

Cloud gave Sephiroth a look and smiled mischievously. "Got you."

"That was too far." Sephiroth put some firewood down into their makeshift fire pit.

"Normally, touching someone in their sleep is too far..."

Sephiroth ignored him and started a small fire. He fanned the flames to make it bigger.

Cloud swished his tail as he sighed and walked over to take the meat out of the pack. "So... Are we anywhere close to wherever we're going?"

"We're getting there. One more town left, and then we'll see it."

"Wait, what?"

"We're...almost...there..." Sephiroth said obnoxiously slowly.

Cloud sighed. "I heard you the first time. I just can't believe you've stopped being vague for once."

"Hmph." Sephiroth put a pot on the fire and filled it up with water.

"So will you tell me what the place is now?"

"A beach."

"Can you be serious for once?"

"I am."

"You're seriously going to a beach?"

"Yes."

"...Why?"

"There's a boat at that beach which will take me to the Eastern Continent."

"Hm." Cloud nodded. It made sense. "What are you planning to do there?"

"Unfinished business," Sephiroth said simply. He pulled his ears back slightly, but Cloud noticed it and became a little suspicious.

"What kind?"

"It's personal." Sephiroth tossed a large chunk of meat into the pot.

"If it's personal, why are you letting me come with you?"

"It won't take long to clear things up. I won't be fighting over the issue forever."

Cloud's curiosity was piqued.

Sephiroth gave him a stern look.

"Fine," Cloud said. "None of my business."

Sephiroth looked down at the stew pot and watched its contents absentmindedly.

Cloud turned away and chewed on his lip. His curiousity was really eating at him now.

"Corel isn't far from here," Sephiroth randomly said after a short moment of silence.

"Corel?"

"Mhmm. Ever heard of it?"

"No."

"Mining town. I don't particularly like it, so we won't stay long."

Cloud snorted. "And you like the beach?"

"Not at all." Sephiroth grabbed a bowl and served himself some stew before tossing an empty bowl at Cloud. "I don't want to stay there for very long, either. I don't have the time, funds, or interest in leisure. Not now," he continued after Cloud caught the bowl. He drank some of the broth before grabbing a clean fork and eating.

Cloud kept silent as he scooped a big helping of stew into his bowl. He wondered if Sephiroth wasn't the vacationer type. Or was it just because his "business" was that serious?

"Believe it or not, Costa del Sol is not just a beach. The navy is there sometimes, too."

"Costa del Sol is the name of the beach we're going to?"

Sephiroth nodded.

"Why would the navy be there?"

"They can't have a base _only_ on the Eastern Continent. It's better to spread available forces out. That being said, I don't want to linger too long around them."

"Why not? Were you part of the navy?"

"No. It's not too important anyways."

"For all I know, you could be on the run from them because you did something..." Cloud ate his stew.

Sephiroth snorted. "If I were on the run, do you think I'd go someplace populated by the people I didn't want to see?"

"Since you need to get to the Eastern Continent so badly, I think you would," Cloud remarked.

"Some members of the navy may know and recognize me. But it's nothing like that."

"Hm." Cloud noisily slurped his stew. Gods, it tasted so good.

A long silence creeped along. Sephiroth quickly finished his food before cleaning up and packing everything away. Cloud ate more slowly, wanting to savor his dinner. The wolf put out the fire and set the pack close to the tent.

"Get ready to pack up tomorrow," Sephiroth said.

Cloud nodded. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"For telling me where we're going."

"Mhmm." Sephiroth looked for other stray items to pack up, leaving only the tent and Cloud's things out.

Cloud licked his bowl clean before getting up to wash it properly. When he finished and turned around, Sephiroth was gone. The fox looked up and saw him walking away. He was tempted to call out after him, but he held his tongue. He couldn't see Sephiroth carrying anything but his sword. The sun was quickly setting, and Cloud couldn't fathom why Sephiroth would want to go out when nighttime was coming. It was impractical to hunt at the moment – they both had hunted enough food to go around for the next day.

Cloud reluctlantly pushed his wonder to the back of his mind and worked on packing up what he needed to put away. When he finished, the sun was barely peeking out from the horizon. The blond yawned and stretched before packing up his sleeping bag. Then he transformed.

In his fox body, Cloud curled up inside the tent. He relaxed and gazed through the open flap before his eyes grew too heavy for him to keep open. Then he fell asleep.

* * *

He wasn't sure how much time passed by when he was woken up again. He felt a hand pet his head and massage behind his ears. Struggling not to whine at the gentle contact, Cloud opened his eyes and saw it was Sephiroth again. The wolf had his ears up and was looking outside. The blond followed his gaze to find he was staring at the moon again.

Soon, Cloud was unable to contain himself. He started whining and leaned into the touch.

"You make such weird noises," Sephiroth said quietly.

Cloud ignored him and rolled onto his back so Sephiroth could scratch under his chin. He stuck his feet into the air and whined even louder.

Sephiroth poked Cloud's nose with a finger. The fox wriggled his way onto Sephiroth's lap and laid the upper half of his body on it. He heard Sephiroth laugh softly.

Cloud flicked his tail, hitting Sephiroth's back with it. The silver-haired man smiled at him and resumed his petting. Cloud closed his eyes again and rested his head on Sephiroth's right leg. He couldn't help but stretch and wiggle when Sephiroth scratched his back.

At that moment, he felt like a king. He didn't want it to end.

"I, too, am a coward," Sephiroth said so quietly, Cloud almost didn't hear him. The fox lifted his head, but Sephiroth scratched him behind the ears to distract him.

As Sephiroth sat there in silence, Cloud's thoughts raced. He had absolutely no idea what Sephiroth was talking about.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2015年9月15日（火）

Finished: 2015年10月10日（土）

Oh my, long time no chapter. I could go on and on about how sorry I am, but I don't want to sound insincere. I made a little something for you all, though.

~~The anatomy on them is nothing like I pictured it, but they weren't originally meant to be Seph and Cloud, ahahahaaa. I originally sketched a random fox and a black wolf and recolored them to look like those buttheads. Please forgive me.~~

I really am sorry. :'D I've been hella busy and tired lately. All I want to do nowadays is sleep. Blegh. I kicked my butt into updating this one because I really felt guilty for letting it go updated for so long. I...may or may not actually have forgotten about this fic. :'D I hope this chapter is enough to satisfy for now until I can get around to updating again.

Next chapter: Small stop at Corel, then Costa del Sol.


	15. Chapter 15

He dreamed of him again that night. He was half expecting it, but the memories still hurt. His heartache was still there.

But had it ever really disappeared? Was it ever gone, or had it been hiding deep within him the entire time?

He didn't resent Zack. Maybe a little bit, but not enough to really matter. Mostly, he blamed himself.

Sephiroth opened his eyes, squinting when he saw dim sunlight on the ceiling of the tent. Sleepily, he sat up and peeked outside.

It was early morning, but almost time to go. He exited the tent and looked for the fox. Once he found him, he kicked him lightly, smiling to himself when the blond growled at him in annoyance.

"Time to pack up," Sephiroth said.

* * *

Corel was ugly. Damn ugly. It was an achievement.

Cloud couldn't believe the place was really a town, and he had hoped that his first impressions would be proven wrong once they entered. But no, nothing really changed. If anything, it looked even uglier.

The fox looked away from the people unlucky enough to live here, feeling out of place with the looks they gave him. It was clear that everyone (or most everyone) here was entirely human. He glanced at Sephiroth, who had his wolf ears hidden away, and felt tempted to hide his own and his tail. Pride, however, would not let him.

Sephiroth approached a man standing behind a crude, makeshift stand and spoke with him. He handed him some money and received some supplies, then put them inside his backpack and walked away.

"Are we going to stay here?" Cloud asked quietly. He laid his ears back when he saw a man with a shotgun giving him a threatening look.

"No. I'd rather not." Sephiroth led him past several more tents, then they reached the outskirts of the town. Cloud relaxed and looked back, feeling relieved when nobody seemed to be following.

They continued walking in silence, until Cloud asked a question burning his mind.

"The townspeople... Are they all human?"

"Mm. From here onwards, full humans make up the majority of the population."

"Really? No Medians at all?"

"If there are any, then they're blending in."

Cloud frowned at the term. It wasn't blending in. It was hiding. And for no good reason.

"Humans and Medians can coexist perfectly. What's the point in 'blending in'?"

"The point is that humans and Medians _can't_ coexist. Not perfectly."

"Yes they can," Cloud insisted. "I've seen it."

"You haven't seen this side of the world, and you don't realize how much of a minority your kind is."

" _My_ kind?" Cloud pulled Sephiroth by his coat, forcing him to make eye contact. " _You're_ just like me. We're both two in one, and I refuse to be what I'm not."

"Half of you is human," Sephiroth said firmly. "That is the only half that full humans think is acceptable, whether you like it or not. If they see even part of you is animal, they will treat you like one."

"Like you did when you were petting me like one?" Cloud said with some venom.

Sephiroth stared at him blankly. Still blinded by anger, Cloud said, "Is a mindless animal all I am to you?"

Sephiroth didn't answer.

"Are you such a coward that you're a human wearing a Median's skin?" Cloud blurted out without thinking.

Sephiroth slapped Cloud's hand away and turned. He walked faster than usual in the direction he was originally moving in.

Realizing what he'd just done, Cloud took a deep breath to calm down and ran after his partner.

"Sephiroth, I'm—"

"I'm through with you," Sephiroth interrupted.

"I really didn't mean it, I—"

"You clearly won't ever understand until you see it for yourself. Humans here are much different from what you know of them. They don't know us. They don't _want_ to know us."

Cloud merely followed and listened, speechless.

"Becoming close to them doesn't change their minds. Even a human lover will never accept you for what you are," Sephiroth ranted, his voice changing slightly. "You decide you want to show him one night, and he-he—"

Cloud stopped. _Shit_. "Look, Sephiroth, I'm sorry," he said quickly, rushing to catch up with the other man again. "I didn't realize."

Sephiroth turned around to face Cloud. His eyes were so full of hurt, Cloud almost felt heartbroken.

"Of course you didn't."

"If that's how humans are over there, then I'll take your word for it."

"No," Sephiroth said calmly. "You won't. You'll have your ears and tail out, and then you'll wonder why they're treating you differently."

"Is this just because your old mate treated you differently?"

Sephiroth moved forward to take the backpack off of Cloud and stormed off without another word.

"Hey!" Cloud struggled to keep the pace without breaking into a run.

"Go home," Sephiroth said firmly.

"No."

"You won't survive over there if you can't face the facts. You'll get hurt long before we reach Midgar."

Midgar? Cloud knew the place. Not personally, but he'd heard about the city countless times in the newspaper and on television. They both had a very long way to go still, and he couldn't turn back now.

"I don't have a home to go back to anymore. Wherever you're going, I'm going. Please, let me say I'm sorry for bringing back old memories. I wasn't thinking about what I was saying."

"Clearly," Sephiroth said sarcastically.

"I won't say anything like that ever again. I promise."

"Realize this: not everybody has the same values you do. You can't fight a large group of people if they disagree. Humanity is a very touchy subject in the east."

"I understand."

Without another word, Sephiroth kept on, not looking anywhere except forward. He appeared a little stiff, though it was so subtle, Cloud almost couldn't see it.

"Will you forgive me?" the fox asked.

"I need some time," Sephiroth murmured. "When we get to Costa del Sol, keep your mouth shut. If you decide to keep your ears and tail out, that is your choice. But don't say a word. I know you'll offend the wrong people if you do."

Cloud huffed, but gave in. "Fine. I won't say anything."

The sun stayed high overhead, beating on them as they walked through the grasslands. Cloud approached Sephiroth from behind and took his pack off of him and swung it over his shoulders.

The journey excited him at first, but now he was feeling some dread.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2016年4月18日（月）

Finished: That same day.

Can...Can I go back to playing Mass Effect 2 now? Please?

PS: Check out this [awesome fan art](https://twitter.com/fateisboring14/status/721576416974778368) by perfectporcelain13!


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